A resident of Devpara village in Okhamandal taluka has sent a follow-up statutory notice to the Gujarat Pollution Control Board, accusing Tata Chemicals’ Mithapur plant of ongoing environmental violations.
Citing inspections dating back to 2012 and multiple representations to authorities, he claims official actions since 2025 remain procedural, with no real relief for affected livelihoods or public health in the village.
A resident of Devpara village in Gujarat’s Devbhumi Dwarka district has issued a follow-up statutory notice to the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), alleging continued environmental pollution by Tata Chemicals Ltd’s Mithapur operations and warning that years of complaints have not led to measurable improvement on the ground.
The notice, dated May 9, 2026, was sent by Devram Vala Ghoda, a permanent resident of Devpara in Okhamandal taluka. It says the complaint is not new, and refers to an inspection carried out by Okha Municipality on June 13, 2012, which, according to the notice, confirmed pollution in the Devpara area and forwarded its report to the Prant Adhikari, Dwarka.
Ghoda says complaints were also filed under CAPC Form-133 before the Prant Adhikari, Dwarka, and that representations were made in person at GPCB’s Gandhinagar office. Despite what he describes as a “long” administrative trail over more than a decade, he says pollution continues in the area.
The notice acknowledges actions taken by GPCB since October 2025, but says these steps have remained procedural and have not produced measurable outcomes. It alleges that farmers’ and fishermen’s livelihoods remain affected, and that residents of Devpara continue to live with compromised air, water and food. It further claims that serious illnesses have become a visible public health crisis in the village.
Ghoda states that the notice was submitted while he was on an indefinite hunger strike, which he described as a last resort after years of unresolved complaints through available administrative channels. He urged the pollution control board to treat the matter with urgency.
The notice is addressed to the Member Secretary of the GPCB and refers to earlier complaints, directions under air and water pollution laws, joint committee inspection reports, and environmental statutes. It frames the latest communication as a continuation of the original complaint on alleged environmental violations by Tata Chemicals Limited at Mithapur.