Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has spent about Rs 1.5 crore to remove silt and debris allegedly dumped illegally in the stone quarry area of Khoparkhairane MIDC, after monsoon rain carried the material into four nearby factories. The expenditure was approved by the civic standing committee in Navi Mumbai after the corporation’s disaster management department undertook emergency removal work.
The issue was raised during a standing committee meeting held on Wednesday, according to a report by Loksatta – Navi Mumbai. Former Navi Mumbai mayor Jaywant Sutar alleged that the silt dumped in the Khoparkhairane industrial area had been removed from Mumbai’s Mithi River. The report did not cite a separate official finding confirming the origin of the material.
The silt was reportedly brought to the stone quarry area at the beginning of the monsoon in June. When rainfall caused waterlogging at the site, the material began moving towards the adjoining industrial zone. It subsequently entered four factories, causing damage and creating an emergency situation in the area.
The Navi Mumbai civic body’s disaster management department then carried out urgent removal operations. The work was treated as an emergency response, and the resulting expenditure of approximately Rs 1.5 crore was placed before the standing committee for approval. The committee approved the proposal, according to the report.
The spending has raised questions over who should bear the cost of responding to the incident. Committee members asked the administration whether the money spent by the corporation would be recovered from the people responsible for dumping the silt. The report said action had been taken against those allegedly involved in the illegal dumping, but did not provide details of the action or identify the parties concerned.
The incident has placed the focus on the movement and disposal of excavated silt during the monsoon, particularly where temporary dumping sites are located close to industrial premises. In Khoparkhairane MIDC, the immediate consequences included waterlogging, the movement of deposited material into factories and the deployment of municipal emergency resources.
The alleged connection with Mumbai’s Mithi River also raises an inter-city coordination issue, although the available report does not establish how the silt was transported, who authorised its disposal or whether any agency formally confirmed its source. Those details remain central to determining responsibility for the dumping and the resulting cleanup cost.
The standing committee’s approval addresses the municipal payment for the emergency work. The next administrative question is whether the NMMC will recover the expenditure from those responsible for the illegal dumping, as sought by committee members. The report did not specify a recovery deadline or further action timetable.
