BMC set to remove 2000 chimney's from illegal jewellery making units

There are hundreds of chimneys dotting the Kalbadevi skyline spewing toxic fumes from illegal goldsmelting unitsFor 16 years Kalbadevi residents choked on the toxic fumes from the local gold jewellerymaking units while the authorities ignored their pleas for help But after the Chief Minister ordered the closure of these units last week the BMC has finally woken from its slumber The civic body will now remove the chimneys from all illegal units spewing deadly gases and will also cancel their licencesAccording to officials there are over 2000 gold polishing and smelting units operating illegally in Kalbadevi According to the residents when they showed aerial pictures of Kalbadevi to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis even he was shocked to see the number of chimneys sticking out of the rooftops The residents also showed him research papers from KEM Hospital that showed how the gold smithy units were leading to respiratory illnesses among localsmidday had earlier reported that 55 per cent of people living near these units were suffering from asthma bronchitis and other ailments Local residents also pointed out that beside posing health risks these gold units were also a fire trap Unskilled labourers use highly combustible chemicals and illegally stored LPG cylinders to polish the precious metal Following his meeting with the locals the CM issued an order for immediate action against the gold unitsResidents said the CM was shocked to see the number of chimneys sticking out from the rooftops of Kalbadevi File picBMCs planThe BMC has a twopronged plan of action First the civic body will inspect all gold units in the area to see if they are illegally smelting or polishing gold It shouldnt be too hard to find them mdash the chimneys and smoke are a dead giveaway J S Gheghadmal assistant municipal commissioner of Cward said the BMC has set a deadline of three months to dismantle all chimneys at the gold units to ensure no more deadly gases are emitted into the airThe next step is to refuse renewal of licence to the errant workshops As they are commercial units we give them licences which they have to renew every six months We will not renew the licences of these polluting units said GheghadmalLocals unconvincedHowever Harkishan Goradia from the Bhuleshwar Residents Association who spearheaded the campaign said this was not the first time the civic body had promised to take action But nothing has happened so far he added BMC officials claim that they have been taking continuous action against illegal workshopsAccording to their data in the past year they have inspected 2032 units and removed 351 chimneys and 131 furnaces They also claim to have removed 290 exhaust fans and filed 744 prosecution cases against the culprits But residents remain unconvinced Removal of chimneys is an eyewash They remove only a part of the chimney which the unit owners can easily attach again and continue their business said Goradia adding that the officials should remove the entire chimney structure16No of years residents have been fighting for closure of jewellery workshops2000Approx number of gold workshops16Years residents have been fighting for closure03Months in which chimneys will be removedCatch up on all the latest Mumbai National and International news hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go