Fire at waste management plant raises old concerns over pollution & chemical odour

Indore: Hazargo Industries Pvt Ltd, the waste management firm destroyed in a major fire that spread to four neighbouring industries in Pithampur late Tuesday, had earlier faced multiple complaints of nearby units over pollution and chemical odour, officials and Pithampur Audhyogik Sangathan said.The fire broke out in Sector 3. Hazargo Industries Pvt Ltd handles solid, hazardous and industrial waste. Before the blaze could be brought under control, it spread to four nearby units, leaving them partially damaged."Multiple notices were served to Hazargo in the past following complaints of pollution and strong chemical odour from neighbouring units," an official from the industries department said wishing anonymity.Madhya Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation has begun assessing the type of chemicals stored at Hazargo facility and possible cause of the blaze, including whether safety and storage norms were followed. Teams are also evaluating the environmental impact and extent of damage within the industrial area."It was a major fire and the impact was so huge that four other companies also got affected. Fortunately, there were no casualties but industries have suffered losses. As Hazargo is a waste management company, it had inflammables and chemicals stored, which led to a major fire," said MPIDC Indore executive director Himanshu Prajapati.Industry representatives said the issue had earlier been flagged with regulators. According to the Pithampur Audhyogik Sangathan, complaints from nearby industries over pollution and hazardous chemical storage at the site were also raised with the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board."The company had sought permission in 2020 to process up to 5 lakh metric tonnes of waste over an area of around 2.15 lakh acre. Industries around the site had raised concerns over setting up such a hazardous facility and we took up the matter with the Pollution Control Board. Operations were briefly halted, but later inspections did not find violations. Subsequently, the permitted capacity was reduced to about 2 lakh metric tonnes," the association president Gautam Kothari said.Among the affected units are pharma firm Enaltec Labs Pvt Ltd, tyre manufacturer SKYZ Natural Rubber Private Limited and engineering company Gallard Steel Limited, along with one non-operational unit. Officials said these units suffered 10 to 15 percent damage.Industry sources said Gallard Steel Limited, which was in the process of expanding its facility and acquiring additional land, may see delays following the incident.