Pune mall fumes reported at KPCT Mall in Fatimanagar have raised health concerns among shop employees, customers and clinic visitors, with occupants alleging that suspected chemical and paint vapours are causing breathing difficulties, nausea, eye irritation and vomiting. The source and composition of the fumes have not yet been established.
Business owners and employees told the Times of India that the problem had intensified in recent weeks. They suspect flex-printing and laser-cutting units operating on the ground and upper floors of the mall, where printed and painted hoardings are also allegedly left to dry inside the premises.
One business owner, who has operated a shop in the mall for nearly 20 years, said customers had complained of a strong smell of paint and chemicals, along with chest constriction, burning eyes and headaches. He said five people had experienced breathlessness on one occasion and left the mall.
Employees at a ground-floor health clinic said a colleague recently had to leave work midway after experiencing suffocation and a burning sensation in the eyes. Clinic staff also reported symptoms among visitors. A young girl who visited a canteen was said to have complained of a smell and a feeling of vomiting, while another girl in a prayer room on the upper floor reportedly vomited after experiencing similar symptoms.
Workers from a medical equipment store serving mainly senior citizens, an architecture firm and a photography studio also described breathlessness, dizziness, throat irritation and nausea. The owner of the architecture firm said two of its four employees had resigned recently, citing health concerns. According to the owner, one employee vomited twice, returned home and required medical attention.
The business owner said the problem worsened after an adjoining unit brought in additional machinery. Laser cutting can generate smoke and fumes depending on the material being processed, while paints can release vapours, but no authority has yet confirmed that either activity caused the reported symptoms at the mall.
A complaint was emailed to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board’s Pune regional office on September 15, with a copy sent to the state environment department. The complaint alleged that a flex-printing unit was operating large machinery in a space of about 200 square feet and emitting chemical fumes that were affecting staff and customers. It also said repeated complaints to the Pune Municipal Corporation and other authorities had not resulted in action.
The MPCB had not responded to the Times of India by the time the report was published. Any inspection, air-quality assessment or regulatory action would be required to establish the source of the fumes and determine whether operating conditions inside the mall comply with applicable requirements.
