Navi Mumbai: Environmentalists and citizens’ groups have strongly opposed renewed quarrying activity in the Kharghar Hills, located dangerously close to the Tata Memorial Centre’s Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), and the under-construction Kharghar-Turbhe tunnel.
The NatConnect Foundation and the Kharghar Hill and Wetland Forum have written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, warning of serious health and environmental risks due to rock blasting and dust pollution in the area. The dense dust clouds generated by the quarrying operations are reportedly reaching not only the hospital but also residential sectors 30 to 35.
“This isn’t just an environmental issue—it’s a public health emergency,” said B N Kumar, director of NatConnect Foundation. “Cancer patients, already vulnerable, are being exposed to fine dust particles that could compromise their recovery. The hospital houses highly sensitive equipment that must be kept dust-free.”
The director of ACTREC had previously raised similar concerns in a letter to the government, following which quarrying was briefly halted. However, according to activists, the activity has resumed with greater intensity.
“On some days, the dust is so thick that the hills are barely visible,” said Jyoti Nadkarni, convenor of the Kharghar Hill and Wetland Forum. “There’s a school nearby, and even the Pandavkada waterfalls—earmarked as an eco-tourism site—are adjacent to the blast zones. It’s reckless and short-sighted.”
Adding to the concern is the ongoing construction of the Kharghar-Turbhe link road, which involves tunneling through the same hills now being weakened by quarry blasts. Activists fear the blasting could jeopardize the stability of the tunnel and trigger landslides.
“The risk is very real—we’ve seen similar disasters in places like Irshalwadi and the Parsik Hills due to unregulated quarrying,” Kumar warned.
Environmental groups have pointed out that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) mandates environmental clearance for all quarry operations and are questioning how the Kharghar quarries are operating without scrutiny.
Both NatConnect and Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishthan, which have long campaigned against quarrying in the Parsik Hills, are demanding an immediate halt to the operations. They argue that recent landslides in the Himalayan states, linked to hill blasting for roads, offer a stark reminder of the consequences of ignoring ecological balance.
“This is a disaster in the making,” the activists concluded, urging the government to act before irreversible damage occurs.
