For the last two weeks, the residents of Crossings Republik and neighboring villages are battling with soot accumulation and increasing health hazards with it.
To demand the closure of Continental Carbon India Limited, the residents on Sunday again protested at the gate of CCIL. Over five hundred residents from Crossings Republik, ABES, Dundahera, Chipayana and Pratap Vihar demonstrated their anger against the alleged carbon emission by the company.
For the last two weeks, the residents of Crossings Republik and neighboring villages are battling with soot accumulation and increasing health hazards with it.
The residents accused CCIL, which is located along NH-24 in Bulandshahr industrial area, for strong emission of carbon particles which takes over the skyline every morning, making their life difficult on a daily basis.
Residents complain that their balconies, roads, pathways are smeared with carbon dust. “It has made our lives difficult,” said Sanchit Sharan, an engineering student from ABES College.
The residents of the area complained that the pollution impacted their health severely. Many complained of respiratory problems, irritation in eyes, blurred vision and sore throat.
Our kids and senior citizens keep coughing all day. This company’s failure to check its emission has endangered our lives. “We are prone to lung cancer if situation persists,” Sanjeev Pandey, a resident of Gaur Global Village in Crossings said while protesting.
The three hour long protest ended only when ADM Himanshu Gupta arrived at the protest site and assured the demonstrators of a strict action against the company.
“We have sent our findings to Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) headquarters. It is only upon them to take any action against CCIL,” Gautam said.
Gautam shared a copy of the letter written to UPPCB headquarters in which a committee constituted by DM Ritu Maheshwari has recommended the closure of CCIL owing to a “system failure” in the factory.
“The system failure had led uncontrolled handling of emission which generated the carbon and its layer was found inside the factory and several nearby societies as well,” the letter read.
When the outrage of Crossings’ residents against carbon emission made headlines last week, DM had constituted the committee consisting of SDM, City Magistrate and Regional Officer of UPPCB to inspect the factory premises and prepare the report.
“Either UPPCB will suggest closure of the company or it will redirect the investigation to Central Pollution Control Board,” Gautam said.
CCIL has been a serial violator in the past, both in India and abroad as well.
In December 2017, UPPCB had ordered Continental Carbon to shut down after it was found that the firm was violating the provisions of Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, adding to air pollution in the vicinity.
In March 2015, Environmental Protection Agency of United States (EPA) fined $99 million to mitigate alleged excessive emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.
City Spidey tried to reach the officials at CCIL but our calls went unanswered.
