The Bombay High Court has directed the Thane district collector to inspect the Kulgaon-Badlapur Municipal Council area following allegations of untreated sewage being discharged into the Ulhas River, a key source of drinking water for cities like Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, and Ulhasnagar.
The directive came on Tuesday from a division bench comprising Justice G.S. Kulkarni and Justice Arif Doctor, while hearing a public interest litigation filed by local resident Yashwant Bhoir. The plea raised serious environmental and public health concerns over the alleged absence of proper sewerage infrastructure in the municipality, which has a population of around five lakh.
The court was informed that the Kulgaon-Badlapur Municipal Council lacks both a functional sewer network and a sewage treatment plant. Consequently, untreated wastewater, including sewage from septic tanks, is being directly released into the Ulhas River. The petitioner also alleged that an Occupancy Certificate was granted to a large residential complex without adequate sanitation provisions, including a proper connection to any municipal sewerage system.
Observing that such practices constitute a “gross abuse of environmental laws,” the bench expressed grave concern over the municipal council’s failure to address the sanitation crisis. “There is no sewerage treatment plant, although the municipal population is approximately 5 lakh,” the court remarked, noting the municipality’s inability to provide even basic infrastructure for waste disposal.
The High Court directed the municipal council officers to file a detailed affidavit responding to the allegations. It also ordered the builder of the mentioned residential complex to take immediate corrective steps, subject to civic approvals.
In a significant move, the court instructed the Thane district collector to conduct a site inspection of the affected municipal area, assess the absence of sewage infrastructure, and verify the alleged discharge of untreated sewage into the river. The collector is also required to carry out a health and hygiene inspection of the locality. A high court officer will accompany the inspection, and a comprehensive report is to be submitted during the next hearing, scheduled for July 17.
