A chemical scare gripped Tarapur MIDC on Monday evening after dense hydrochloric acid fumes leaked from the Aarti Drugs plant, forcing residents of nearby Shivajinagar and Salwad to flee their homes in panic. Civic officials confirmed that no one has been injured due to the gas leak.
The leak was reported around 7 pm from Plot No. T-150, where production was underway. A crack in a storage system led to acid vapour escaping into the air. Within minutes, locals complained of burning eyes, throat irritation and difficulty in breathing.
“We had to run out of our homes as the smell became unbearable. Children started crying, and many elderly people were coughing continuously,” said Meena Patil, a resident of Shivajinagar.
Another resident, who lives barely a few hundred metres from the plant, said: “The factory is so close to our homes. The children have already fallen sick. The company should be shut down. What if something worse had happened? So many of us could have died.”
As panic spread, angry workers and residents gathered outside the factory gate, shouting slogans against the company and demanding its immediate closure.
Fire brigade teams from Boisar rushed to the site immediately after the alarm was raised. The plant’s safety team also acted swiftly to stem the leak, while police and civic authorities moved in to monitor the situation.
Yasin Tadvi, Chief of the Thane Municipal Corporation’s disaster management cell, confirmed the sequence of events: “A storage tank containing diluted hydrochloric acid reportedly cracked, releasing dense fumes. It caused panic in the neighbouring areas of Salwad and Shivajinagar. Eye and throat irritation was felt by people and workers. Necessary containment measures have been taken, and there are no reports of injuries due to leakage so far. Personnel from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and police are at the site to oversee further safety checks.”
Locals, however, remain unconvinced. Just last year, a bromine gas leak at the same unit had triggered chaos in the neighbourhood. “How many more times do we have to suffer? If the company cannot operate safely, it should be shut down,” said a local activist, who along with others, confronted police demanding action.
Officials said authorities are continuing to monitor the air quality and will decide on further medical or evacuation support if necessary.
Officials said authorities are continuing to monitor the air quality and will decide on further medical or evacuation support if necessary. But for the residents, the anger is far from over. As fumes cleared, dozens still stood outside the factory gates demanding answers.
