25 December,2025 12:52 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondent
Rohit Pawar. Pic/PTI
The machinery of a chemical plant recently set up in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri district was procured from a controversial Italian firm linked to health hazards caused by PFAS chemicals, and it is now emitting the same compounds, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar has claimed.
State industries minister Uday Samant, however, said the chemicals in question are not being produced at the plant set up by Lakshmi Organic Chemicals in the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area at Lote Parashuram, 225 km south of Mumbai, reported PTI.
In a post on X, Pawar claimed that PFAS chemicals released by Italian company Miteni had contaminated a reservoir, affecting over 3 lakh people in the Vicenza area in the European nation.
"The citizens there protested and forced the shutdown of the company. The same machinery from that shut-down company was purchased by Lakshmi Organic and installed in Ratnagiri MIDC. Harmful PFAS are being emitted from this plant," Pawar alleged.
He questioned why permission was granted to such a hazardous industry, especially when India does not have specific laws regulating PFAS chemicals.
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of synthetic chemicals widely used in industrial processes and are known for their persistence in the environment and potential links to cancer and other health disorders.
Speaking to a news channel, industries minister Samant, who is also the guardian minister of the coastal district, said he would not allow any hazardous project to come up in the Konkan region, reported PTI.
He sought information from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) after reading media reports, and was informed that the contentious chemical has not be manufactured at the plant so far, the Shiv Sena leader said.
"We are verifying whether the machinery procured from an Italy-based firm had necessary clearances from the MPCB," Samant added, reported PTI.
The MPCB had issued a notice to the company following media reports, he said.
Earlier, Rohit Pawar launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming that recent statements made by leaders within the Mahayuti alliance during the municipal council elections have exposed growing internal discord.
Pawar said the remarks indicated that political decisions were being driven by narrow self-interest, adding that the BJP had begun "revealing its true colours," with its allied parties appearing to endorse or remain silent on the developments.
He also criticised the Chief Minister's announcement, made shortly after the election schedule was declared, that the Mahayuti would not contest the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad civic polls together. According to Pawar, the decision reflected the BJP's tendency to marginalise even its own partners.
"Earlier, allies were ridiculed, and now one of them has been conveniently sidelined," Pawar said, describing the situation as a result of "unrestrained political ambition."
He warned that if such an approach continues, it would not be surprising to see a political scenario in 2029 where the BJP is pitched against all other parties.
(With inputs from PTI)
