NGT Seeks Response From State Agencies On Alleged Illegal Quarrying Behind Tata Cancer Hospital

Navi Mumbai: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to multiple Maharashtra state authorities after taking suo motu cognizance of media reports alleging illegal quarrying activity behind the Tata Cancer Hospital in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai.

The NGT's principal bench in New Delhi stated that the reports raise 'substantial issues' concerning violations of environmental norms and lack of enforcement under scheduled enactments. The bench, comprising Justice Prakash Shrivastava, and expert members Dr. A. Senthil Vel and Dr. Afroz Ahmad, has directed the case to be heard by the Tribunal’s Western Zonal Bench in Pune on September 17.

The Tribunal has asked the Raigad District Collector, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), Directorate of Geology and Mining, and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to file their responses in the form of affidavits at least one week before the scheduled hearing.

The case stems from revelations made through a Right to Information (RTI) response received by environmental group NatConnect Foundation, which confirmed that the Raigad district administration had not granted permission for any quarrying in the said area.

B N Kumar, Director of NatConnect Foundation, welcomed the NGT’s intervention and emphasized that such unregulated quarrying could severely harm cancer patients with weakened immunity and damage costly medical equipment due to dust exposure. "The quarrying must stop. This is playing with lives," he said.

The NGT observed that the news reports detailed how blasting and stone-crushing activities were being carried out in broad daylight, even during the monsoon. This, according to experts cited in the report, has loosened the soil in the hills and significantly increased the risk of landslides, potentially endangering residents and jeopardizing nearby infrastructure projects such as the under-construction Kharghar-Turbhe tunnel.

The Tribunal also noted concerns raised about large dust clouds entering the Tata Hospital premises and surrounding residential areas, posing health hazards and environmental threats.

Jyoti Nadkarni, convenor of the Kharghar Hill and Wetland Forum, also welcomed the proceedings and questioned the inaction of government bodies despite having official RTI evidence from the district administration. “Why did the authorities ignore this for months?” she asked.

The NGT’s move is seen as a critical step by the activists towards fixing accountability and enforcing environmental protection in ecologically sensitive areas surrounding critical healthcare and infrastructure zones.