The Maharashtra government will take action against Mumbai Waste Management Ltd for failing to get clearance from the State Pollution Control Board in the case relating to the proposed move to process hazardous waste from Bhopal, said Mr Sanjay Deotale, Environment Minister.

He was replying to a calling attention notice in the State Assembly regarding incineration of the solid waste, which has been lying in the defunct Union Carbide plant at Bhopal.

The Madhya Pradesh government has been trying to dispose of the waste ever since the gas disaster of 1984. But none of the hazardous waste facilities across country have been allowed to incinerate it because of resistance from civil society groups.

In January, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had asked MWML, which has a facility near Taloja, Navi Mumbai, to incinerate 10 tonnes of toxic waste from the plant.

Opposing the incineration in Maharashtra, legislators demanded action against the company.

Mr Deotale said action would be taken against MWML but the furious members continued to voice their concerns. This made the presiding officer Mr Sadashivrao Mandalik to withhold the notice and asked the State government to clarify its stand on the issue.

Mr Sandeep Naik and Mr Jitendra Avhad of NCP raised the issue in the Assembly and said that the solid waste contained mercury and lead, which might affect health of people in Navi Mumbai.

“We have served a notice to MWML asking it to explain on what ground it has sought the CPCB permission for the incineration,” Mr Deotale said.

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