By Snehal Mutha

Copyright thehindu

During the public hearing of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) on Tuesday (September 16, 2025), the residents of Mohone and surrounding villages in Maharashtra’s Kalyan town objected to the cement plant by Adani Group’s subsidiary company- Ambuja Cement Limited and said, “no scope of negotiations”.

The residents of Mohone, Manda, Atali, and Ambivli villages opposed the proposed plant on the grounds of long-term effects on the environment, lives, and health of the local people, and challenged the legality of the proposed plant. “We are opposing the project as our livelihood will be disturbed, and down the line, it will harm the environment, create air and water pollution. MPCB should have answered whether they are ready to approve such a project, which can have adverse effects. Instead of Adani representatives presenting the project,” said Ramesh Konar (53), a teacher and resident of Mohone, who was present at the public hearing.

The ₹1400 crores worth cement grinding plant could be the second project of the Adani group that is facing opposition in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) region after the Dharavi redevelopment project. In 2020, the Adani group took over the National Rayon Company (NRC), reportedly announcing plans to develop a logistics park on 650 acres of NRC land, the same location where the company plans to develop the plant.

On 14 August, the Kalyan division of the MPCB published a notice inviting objections and suggestions within a deadline of one month. The residents claim that they came to know about the proposed project after the notice was issued and alleged that the administration has failed to inform the villagers and maintain transparency.

According to the Ambuja Cement Limited survey report, the total land for the proposed project is 26.13 hectares, among which 5.49 hectares will be used for the grinding unit, and 9.67 hectares will be used for developing a green belt.

The Hindu also contacted Ambuja Cement Limited, but no response was made.

Thereafter, the villagers also wrote letters to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Municipal Commissioner of the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), and MPCB. In the letter, the villagers mentioned, “The proposed project is being built without any investigation into the disputed lands and the impact of the pollution on the rice fields, and the conventional occupation of fishing is not taken into account.”

“Kalu River flows at a distance of 0.1 km from the proposed cement grinding project, and the Ulhas River also flows at a distance of about 1 km. Also, there is an 18-foot-wide road connecting Ambivali-Manda-Titwala near the proposed project site. Ambivali station is 0.15 km away from the project site. Ambivali, Atali, Galegaon, Vadavali, Baneli, and Manda-Titwala have a large population in this area, and it is growing rapidly. Therefore, the place indicated for the construction of the proposed project is not suitable,” the letter read.

The resident of the Manda village, Prabhakar Bhoir, said, “The talks were to install a logistics park. We are also fine with developing commercial or residential projects. We raised our livelihood will be affected, they said, with the plant they will provide 1500 jobs. Why would we take that, destroying our own? We are clear that there is no scope for negotiation. MPCB just did the role of observer when they have the authority to investigate the environmental impact.” He is also a member of Manda Koliwada Titwala Gramstha, who raised the issue with the MPCB. MPCB officials stated that they have noted the objections and concerns of the villagers and will examine all the submissions.

During the hearing, the villagers raised doubts concerning the ownership of land and the pending dues of former NRC workers.