Shiv Sena rally to protest Tata Power coal-run plant

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena today held a rally from Chembur naka to Mahul against a proposed coal-run plant of Tata Power at Trombay.

Senior Sena leader Subhash Desai said the conversion of the 500-MW oil and gas fired unit 6 to coal-run will compound the air pollution problem in Ghatkopar, Chembur, Deonar and Mankhurd.

"We told their management today that the unit 6 be converted and should run on oil/gas. Similarly, we asked them to close down units 3 and 5 and convert them to gas fired ones or use any other environment-friendly solution," Desai said.

"They (management) said they would speak to higher-ups. We told them we will also speak to Ratan Tata as he is a sensible person," Desai told PTI.

"We brought to their notice the grave threat to citizens already suffering from respiratory infections because of the Deonar dumping ground, the chemical fertilizer factory and the oil refineries in the area," Desai said.

At a public hearing held by the office of the suburban collector of Mumbai and MPCB in January, Tata Power was asked to reveal how it planned to solve the pollution problem, he said.