Graphite India, present in Whitefield, processes graphite daily in huge quantities which releases a large amount of fine graphite soot into the atmosphere. This is fine enough for it to not be very visible, yet is breathed by, not just the Graphite India employees, but, all the daily commuters, residents and businesses around the vicinity of Graphite India.
And with ITPL and other business parks in the area, daily commuters are ever increasing (with the current numbers close to almost 1.2 Lakhs per day using the road in front of Graphite India). All these citizens are exposed to this soot. This is exacerbated by the wind. Wind blows in East wards for about six months, during which a health care center (RxDx which sees 300-400 patients daily), a couple of business centers and a few residential communities are directly exposed.
Remaining months, the wind is North-by-Northeast, thus impacting a couple of schools and many residential communities. Numerous cities have banned or moved graphite processing units away from residential and civic centers.
Over the past few years, this issue has been raised numerous times and KSPCB has passed rulings that Graphite India needs to move/passed other reduction mandates. However, neither has happened and the court case hasn’t reached a satisfactory conclusion
Hear this from RxDx.
1) The patients are complaining
2) The floors are black and slippery again, patients are slipping on them
3) The children’s play area is black and unsafe for kids
4) The cafeteria on the 5th floor has black soot in all the food
5) The staff is complaining of cough and lung problems
Graphite India needs to work with adequate filters or find alternative premises. Enough is enough.
Whitefield cannot tolerate this any more.
Write to hello@whitefieldrising.org if you want to connect with the group that is working on this issue. Join them, support them.
Related Articles