On Wednesday, authorities in Maharashtra's Thane district filed a criminal case against a scrap dealer in Bhiwandi town for purportedly storing hazardous industrial waste without the necessary permissions, as per an official statement. An official of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) lodged a complaint against the scrap dealer, he said.
MPCB official was returning after attending a meeting when he noticed the hazardous industrial waste stored in a godown as well as in an open place at Kausa, he said. While 15 tonnes of waste was stored in the open ground, five other tonnes of it was kept in the godown, the police official said.
Mohammad Arif Altaf Hussain Khan, the accused, acquired the waste and, despite being aware of its harmful impact on humans and its environmental hazards, stored it without adhering to the prescribed norms, according to the police.
An offence under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 336 (rash or negligent act), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 278 (making atmosphere noxious to health) and 284 (negligent conduct with respect to poisonous substance), and under sections of the Environmental Protection Act was registered against the scrap dealer, they said.