Navi Mumbai: Environmental groups and local activists have raised alarm over the unchecked quarrying activity in the Kharghar Hills, located directly behind the Tata Memorial Centre’s cancer hospital and near the upcoming Kharghar-Turbhe tunnel.
In a recent email to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, NatConnect Foundation and the Kharghar Hill and Wetland Forum questioned the rationale behind permitting such operations. The groups highlighted how blasting in the area generates hazardous dust clouds, which drift into the hospital premises and residential sectors 30 to 35.
"The hospital houses advanced cancer care equipment, which is highly sensitive to dust," said NatConnect director B N Kumar. "It's unacceptable to have cancer patients exposed to airborne dust while undergoing treatment."
He also recalled a previous appeal from the director of the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), who had raised concerns about the quarrying. While the activity was temporarily halted, blasting has now resumed with increased intensity, noted Jyoti Nadkarni, convenor of the Kharghar Hill and Wetland Forum.
“Sometimes the dust clouds are so dense, the hills are completely obscured,” she said. “There’s even a gram panchayat school nearby—this is putting children at risk.”
Nadkarni pointed out that the blasting sites are adjacent to the Pandavkada waterfalls, which the forest department is promoting as an eco-tourism destination. She also expressed concern that the ongoing quarrying could compromise the structural integrity of the Kharghar-Turbhe tunnel currently under construction through the hills.
“This isn’t rocket science,” added Kumar. “We’ve already seen landslides in places like Irshalgad and Parsik Hills due to similar activities.”
Activists cited a ruling by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which mandates environmental clearance for quarry operations. They questioned how the Kharghar quarries are functioning despite this.
Kumar called for a comprehensive environmental impact assessment before permitting further quarrying.
Organizations like Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan and NatConnect have been campaigning against the resumption of quarrying in the Parsik Hills, warning that recent landslides in the Himalayan states—caused by hill blasting for road construction—should serve as a stark warning.
The groups are demanding an immediate halt to all quarrying activity in the Kharghar region.