October 8, 2025

Vasai witnessed a big action on Tuesday as seven ready mix concrete (RMC) plants in Sasunavghar and Maljipada areas were shut down by the Palghar collector's office flying squad. The reason? These plants could not show any permission papers when asked. The Palghar collector had already sent showcause notices last month, but the plants stayed mum. Adding more fire to the situation, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) sent closure orders to these plants. None of them had the official okay to run, making their operation illegal and dangerous for the environment. Environmental activists, who have been keeping a watch on pollution, welcomed the move. One activist said, "This action will ensure that no illegal RMC plant flourishes in the Vasai taluka." Chandrakant Pawar, the flying squad in-charge, explained the rules. "The land should have a non-agriculture (NA) certificate, there should be a consent to operate from the MPCB and they should also have a trader's license apart from other list of mandatory documents," he said. Since the plants had none of these, he informed the collector, Indurani Jakhar, who ordered the sealing. A senior official from MPCB added how things deteriorated: "We had issued closure directions to these RMC plants. Once they failed to respond, we informed MSEB which disconnected their power supply. However, they were found using generator sets to operate these plants. Hence we informed and requested VVCMC for sealing these." Earlier, in June, Vasai revenue officials had booked 28 RMC plants for not showing their licenses or papers. After investigations, these seven plants were found without any documents at all. Activists stressed that regular monitoring of such plants is a must to keep pollution in check. This big seal-off sends a clear warning: No illegal business will be allowed to pollute Vasai's environment and cheat the public!

Read More at Timesofindia →

Tags: Rmc plants, Palghar, Vasai, Mpcb, Illegal operations, Environmental pollution,