Helipad in Ambernath MIDC replaced by 300-home residential complex

Days after this paper exposed how toxic waste accumulated over 10 years is threatening the very existence of the Ambernath MIDC it has emerged that an operational helipad bang in the middle of the industrial area has been turned into a residential complex of 300 homesThe homes seen in the background spread across six towers of seven floors each are now ready and buyers have started moving in unmindful of the hazards they face PicsSameer MarkandeThe land use for the helipad at the Additional MIDC in Ambernath was quietly changed from industrial to residential in 2012 despite opposition from top officials and industrial unit owners The homes spread across six towers of seven floors each are now ready and buyers have started moving in unmindful of the hazards they face Only on May 26 2016 11 people were killed in an explosion at the nearby Dombivili MIDCThe Patel Bliss complex shares a wall with engineering units that have inflammable acetylene cylindersWhile industrial safety norms mandate a 100metre buffer between residential buildings and factories the complex mdash called Patel Bliss ndash shares its compound wall with engineering units that house highly inflammable acetylene cylindersThe land use for the helipad at the Additional MIDC in Ambernath was quietly changed from industrial to residential in 2012 despite opposition from top officials and industrial unit ownersThe 1200acre Ambernath Additional MIDC was formed in 1995 to streamline the functioning of garment and tannery industries from the Dharavi Mumbai Thane and Ulhasnagar areas But with the tanneries refusing to move and very few garment units agreeing MIDC in 2002 allotted the area to other industries like chemical engineering pharmaceuticals and textile By 2008 it had swelled to 900 unitsCharansingh Nikhar a chemical expert who is a senior safety official of the Mutual Aid Response Group MARG formed by the Additional MIDC said these chemical units house a lot of dangerous and inflammable material He said till date there have been 10 to 12 major fires Two years ago a reactor blast in a chemical unit manufacturing liquid bromine bromide bromoacetic acid and hydrobromic acid etc brought operations to a standstill and affected hundreds Two workers were killed in a similar incident in 2008ldquoSome units use the highly explosive ethylene oxide and others have liquefied isobutylene which can catch fire by merely coming in contact with airrdquo said Nikhar ldquoThen there are poisonous gases like ammonia chloride and bromine used in pharmaceuticals units The Dombivili reactor that exploded on May 26 had a capacity of 1500 litres Here we have chemical tanks with capacities over 1 lakh litresrdquoUmesh Tayade Chairman of the Additional Ambernath Manufacturers Association AAMA said the nearest hospital is 10 kilometres away and that the fire station has only two fire enginesAtul Mangalkar Fire Officer Additional MIDC Fire Station said ldquoAllowing a residential building within MIDC is a policy decision and since we now have the building inside we are more concerned about LPG cylinders being used in homes which can come into contact with toxic fumes and create a challenging situationrdquoHelipad disappearsIt is for safety concerns like these that the AAMA objected to the removal the helipad Further the pad was of great use for them with CEOs and highranking employees of clients from both India and abroad could take a chopper from Mumbai Senior defence officials also used the helipad to visit the Naval Materials Research Laboratory NMRL and the DRDO defence laboratory situated hereldquoIn 2012 we were shocked to learn that the 5acre helipad was closed and land usage was changed in the MIDCrsquos Development Plan from helipad to residential Now this tower is ready and people are moving in On the other hand our request for additional allotment of industrial plots has not been accepted till daterdquoWhen the AAMA wrote in protest to the MIDC it was told the land was lying unused and will be better utilised for homes of senior managers working in the industrial units ldquoWe realised it was a wellplanned strategy by politicians and bureaucrats from the staterun industry departmentrdquo said TayadeAAMA said if the MIDC was so keen in building a residential tower for unit employees it should have assigned AAMA the jobldquoAllowing a private builder to construct and sell homes to outsiders exposes their designs MIDC has a similar residential zone even that is outside the core industrial area near Ambernath station on the BCabin Road which is lying unused and is encroached uponrdquo said AAMA Vice President Makarand PawarThe AAMA office bearers even approached the then CEO of MIDC Dr Kshatrapati Shivaji who agreed with them and categorically objected to converting the helipad into a residential towerShivaji who is now Chairman amp Managing Director of the Small Industries Development Bank of India told midday that he would often state his reservations in writing as he believed ad hoc change of land usage should only happen if it is in the larger interest of the state and not otherwiseldquoI do not exactly remember the particularsrdquo Shivaji told midday ldquoBut I firmly believed such action should be undertaken only in the best interest of the sate for boosting and accelerating industrial growthrdquoState Industry Minister Subhash Desairsquos office told midday he was traveling and will not be able to comment for this report His junior the state minister for industries Pravin Pote Patil said he was in Amravati and does not know about the issue Sanjay Sethi CEO MIDC said he will have to check the records on conversion of land use and hence will not be able to commentJoint CEO MIDC Abhasaheb Jarhad said ldquoMIDC being a planning authority has the power to change land usage But since this decision was taken few years ago I will have to go through our records as to why it was decided to change a helipad to residentialrdquo