Suraj Mourya

SCIENTISTS may have announced their plans to establish a human settlement on Mars by 2023, but Ambarnath residents are still living in the Stone Age. The tribal (adivasi) community here burns its dead in a dumping ground.

Ambarnath is in Thane district, Maharashtra is a part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, 60 km away from Mumbai city. The name Ambarnath literally means Sky-Lord. Ambarnath is the site of an old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, dating back to 1060 AD.

On January 8, 2017, the Shivaji Nagar police in Ambarnath (East) received an unexpected complaint. The residents of Amber Height building complained that they were suffering from health problems and mental problems because of the smell, smoke and fog of dead bodies in the dumping ground.

“We forwarded the complaint letter to the Ambarnath Municipal Council (AMC) for further action as this issue belongs to it. Now council authority will take the right decision,” said G R Patil, inspector, Shivaji Nagar police station.

The matter came to the fore when on January 8, 2017; an NGO called Ambarnath Citizen Forum (ACF) protested against the use of the dumping ground and claimed it to be illegal. Residents had approached ACF after being fed up with the continuing burning of debris and smoke. As dumping ground is near the highway, the smoke creates a fog and drivers face problems.

“After protests, the council officer accepted that the dumping ground is illegal. We will talk on the issue sitting together,” said Satyajit Burman, member of ACF. “Our protest will continue till the problem is solved,” said Burman.

The tribesmen of Morivali village have been burning their dead for 70 years in the ground just 300 metres away from Amber Height building. Fifteen years ago the AMC created the dumping ground illegally on the funeral ground.

“It is true that our building (Amber Height) developed recently. But we are suffering lots of problem due to illegal dumping ground and burning of dead bodies in it. Our society members have complained and demanded a stop to the burning of dead bodies and sought the shifting of the dumping ground,” said Yogesh Pawar, a resident of Amber Heights.

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Anonymous
Anonymous
7 years ago

Abhi sahi kadam uthaiga Prashasan