Umrale Rablai villagers allege cattle dung from dairy farm has been dumped near wells polluting their drinking water and leading to an infestation of insects
Villagers show the dung and other waste from the dairy farm that is dumped near an open ground. Pics/Hanif Patel
An 'illegal' dairy farm at Umrale Rablai village owned by two brothers in Nalasopara West, has been the cause of much trouble for locals. They claim to have made several complaints to the police and civic body, but no action has been taken so far. Locals claim the bovine dung and urine that are dumped near a well have polluted the water and they are now forced to fetch drinking water from a civic tap nearly 300 metres away. In addition, the dumping of waste has caused an increase in the infestation of mosquitoes, flies and other insects.
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A villager said the civic body has slapped the owners, Vinod Ganesh Naik and his brother Pramod, with nine notices and an FIR was registered at Nalasopara against them early this month.
The owners claim they have been doing business since before the VVCMC was formed and it is not illegal. They also said they would get the mess cleaned up.
As the wells are contaminated, villagers have to go to a communal civic tap to fill wate
"The dairy farm has been run by Vinod Naik and his family for years. This tabela where he has kept 13 buffaloes and one cow is illegal. The Naik family dumps the dung in an open area close to a well and contaminates the water. In fact, till date, water in three wells has been contaminated and we are forced to fetch water from 300 metres away and waiting in a queue to fill the containers," said Bhupesh Patil, 36, a local.
'They also sell animals'
Another villager, Sachin Naik, 34, said, "There is a small ground where the youth used to play. But the dairy farm owner dumped a pile of dung in an open space near it. Monsoon has arrived and now the heaps of dung, urine and other waste have become an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes and other insects. Above all, the surroundings stink and one can't even breathe properly."
His cousin, Sanjay Naik said, "They also buy animals from Gujarat and sell them in the local market. So, sometimes there are nearly 40-50 animals in the farm and buyers come here. They have been doing all these businesses at the cost of neighbours' health."
Vinod Naik, co-owner of the dairy farm
Another neighbour, Rupesh Mhatre said, "The Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) has till date slapped the owners with nine notices but there is no severe crackdown. Early this month, a civic official, Eknath Bhagat, registered an FIR against the Naik brothers at Nalasopara police station."
Senior Sanitary Inspector Eknath Bhagat said, "The dairy farm had not maintained hygiene in the area. It was the reason I registered an FIR against the owners at the Nalasopara police station. They have been served with notices in the past."
Could be a fire hazard
Sachin Naik has also written to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, requesting officials to check the level of air and water pollution. A number of villagers have also apprised the fire department of VVCMC about the huge storage of dry grass (the fodder) on the premises.
A few villagers also met group leader of Shiv Sena Kiran Chendvankar, an ex-corporator. "I have told them to immediately get the surroundings cleaned by August 10, else the civic body will initiate a crackdown on it," she said.
The other side
One of the dairy farm owners, Pramod Naik, who works in the BMC, Mumbai, said, "My dairy farm is not illegal, we have been running it for years since before the VVCMC was formed and I have all the legal papers since then. But now VVCMC officials are not giving us permission to run it."
Vinod Naik said, "Since there is a lockdown and we faced a staff crunch, the animal droppings were dumped in an open space. We are getting it cleaned. Recently, we had brought an earth excavator to get the area cleaned, but the villagers ganged up and scared the driver away."
09
No. of notices allegedly issued to owners by the VVCMC
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