Navi Mumbai: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognizance of illegal quarrying activities behind the Tata Cancer Hospital (ACTREC) in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, following media reports and complaints from environmentalists. The matter was listed on Monday, as per the NGT’s principal bench cause list.
No Quarrying Permission Granted, Says Raigad District Administration
Environmental groups NatConnect Foundation and the Kharghar Wetland and Hill Forum raised alarms over unlicensed quarry operations in this eco-sensitive zone, citing serious health and ecological hazards. In response to a Right to Information (RTI) query by NatConnect, the Raigad district administration confirmed that no quarrying permissions had been granted at the site.
Quarrying Poses Health Risk to Cancer Patients, Says ACTREC Director
Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi, Director of the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research & Education in Cancer (ACTREC), has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, warning of grave health risks.
He stated that intense blasting and drilling near the hospital generate deafening noise and clouds of toxic dust, endangering patients—particularly those undergoing bone marrow transplants and proton therapy—and disrupting sensitive medical equipment.
“The dust enters sterile zones, putting immunocompromised cancer patients at critical risk,” Dr. Chaturvedi wrote, adding that such disturbances severely compromise the hospital's contaminant-free environment required for treatment procedures.
Environmentalists Sound Alarm Over Hill Degradation and Tunnel Safety
Environmentalists B N Kumar, Director of NatConnect Foundation, and Jyoti Nadkarni, Convenor of the Kharghar Wetland and Hill Forum, have also written to the Chief Minister. They highlighted the risk of hill degradation, air pollution, and potential impact on nearby sites such as the Pandavkada waterfalls and the under-construction Kharghar-Turbhe tunnel.
“This illegal quarry is damaging the Parsik Hill range, which extends toward Turbhe. Quarrying and blasting are occurring just 500 metres from the tunnel construction site. We’ve seen how tunnel collapses in the Himalayas were linked to weakened hill structures from deforestation and excavation. We fear a similar disaster here,” said Kumar.
Environmentalists argue that the quarrying threatens public health, biodiversity, and the structural integrity of the region’s hills. They have demanded immediate intervention from the state and urged exploration of sustainable alternatives.
With the NGT stepping in, concerned residents and activists are hopeful that decisive regulatory action will follow to halt the unauthorized quarrying and protect both the environment and public safety.
