The 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 the Khoparkhairane MIDC industrial zone, according to a report by Loksatta – Navi Mumbai. The material entered four nearby factories after rainwater accumulated at the site and carried the silt into the industrial area.
The expenditure was incurred through the civic body’s disaster management department after the situation worsened during the monsoon. A proposal seeking approval for the emergency spending was placed before the NMMC standing committee and approved at its meeting held on Wednesday, the report said.
Former Navi Mumbai mayor Jaywant Sutar alleged during the meeting that the silt dumped in the Khoparkhairane MIDC area had come from Mumbai’s Mithi River. The report did not provide independent confirmation of the material’s origin. The allegation was raised in the context of the illegal dumping and the subsequent cost borne by the municipal corporation.
The silt was reportedly brought to the stone quarry area at the beginning of the monsoon in June. Once rainwater accumulated at the location, the material flowed towards the adjoining industrial premises. Four factories were affected after the silt entered their properties, causing what the report described as major damage.
The NMMC disaster management department then undertook urgent removal work because of the seriousness of the situation. The municipal corporation treated the cleanup as an emergency operation, resulting in expenditure of approximately Rs 1.5 crore from its funds. The standing committee’s approval has now regularised the spending proposal.
The central question raised by members is whether the cost will be recovered from those responsible for dumping the material. The report said action had been taken against the people involved in the illegal dumping, but members questioned why the financial burden of the cleanup had ultimately fallen on the municipal treasury.
The episode links illegal dumping, monsoon water accumulation, industrial vulnerability and municipal emergency spending in a single incident. It also places responsibility for cost recovery before the civic administration, although the report does not specify the amount recovered, the penalties imposed or the final findings identifying the source of the silt.
The immediate next step is the NMMC’s decision on recovering the approved cleanup expenditure from those accused of illegally dumping the silt. The report did not state a deadline for recovery or provide further details of the action taken against the alleged offenders.
