Civic body carries out raids at the units after complaints from residents and activists about them operating despite an SC order asking them to shut shop
UMC officials during the raid at one of the units in the area. Pic/Navneet Barhate
The Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) has cracked its whip on jeans wash units in the area, which had been conducting business illegally. Civic officials recently raided five units that had been violating norms and sealed shut them, seizing jeans worth lakhs of rupees.
The 510 units in the area had been directed to shut down last November for releasing chemical pollutants into Waldhuni and Ulhas rivers, with the Supreme Court passing an order on the same after petitions by NGOs and activists. However, the units, instead of closing operations, had started running late at night to avoid being seen by anyone.
mid-day had reported in the past about Waldhuni river turning red due to the polluted water released into it from the jeans units. Municipal Commissioner Rajendra Nimbalkar carried out a raid after receiving numerous complaints from residents and others, who submitted photos of the units carrying out their work at late hours. A couple of days ago, Assistant Municipal Commissioners Ganesh Shimpi and Prabhodan Mavade had sealed a unit in Samrat Ashok Nagar. On Thursday, five in Khatri compound were sealed and four trucks of jeans seized from the spot.
Nimbalkar, who was present during the raid, said, "After the SC order, we had disconnected the units' power supply, and asked those running them to come up with a solution to the problem of pollution. Instead, they procured electricity illegally and went back to business. When we raided them a couple of days back, they were all shut from the outside; we broke in and found 25,000-odd jeans hung up to dry." While asking for a thorough inquiry in the matter and action on the illegality, Nimbalkar has also issued to notice to the MSEB, questioning how the units had managed to get electricity.
510
Number of jeans wash units in the area
06
Number of units sealed so far
04
Number of trucks of jeans seized
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