Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Residents of Ladgaon Karmad , troubled by the foul odour from Radico's molasses storage, inspected the company's pond on Tuesday night. They discovered contaminated molasses being sprayed into the air through sprinklers, worsening the stench.
In response, sarpanches from Ladgaon, Hivra, Tongav, and Jadgav staged a sit-in protest at Radico’s premises on Wednesday morning. The company assured them the spraying would be stopped immediately and issued a written commitment to prevent its recurrence. They warned that if the issue persists, they will organize a road blockade. Radico Plant Head Ashish Kapoor acknowledged the problem, explaining that molasses naturally produces an odour. He stated that the Central Pollution Control Board has given them a one-and-a-half-year deadline for a permanent solution, which is already in progress. He assured villagers the issue would be resolved soon. Sarpanches submitted a written complaint demanding an immediate fix. They also alleged that Radico has influenced officials to ignore pollution complaints. During the late-night inspection, villagers witnessed contaminated water being sprayed into the air under floodlights, creating a mist-like layer. This, they claimed, poses a health hazard. Present at the protest were Ladgaon deputy sarpanch Laxman Bagal, former Deputy sarpanch Santosh Bagal, jadgaon sarpanch Ramkisan Bhosale, Tongaon sarpanch Ganesh Chaudhary and others.
Statements from Stakeholders
“Our products are made from molasses, which naturally has an odour. While many industries emit similar smells, we acknowledge the issue and are working on a solution.”- Plant Head, Radico Ashish Kapoor
“Radico denied responsibility until we showed them evidence. Now, they have promised to resolve the issue within four days. If they fail, we will take stronger action.”- Sarpanch, Ladgaon, Jayashree Bagal