Mining near Taloja Jail stopped: State to High Court

The jail houses many high-profile accused,including gangster-turned-MLA Arun Gawli,extradited gangster Abu Salem and naval officer Emile Jerome,accused in the Neeraj Grover murder case. Lawyer Arfan Sait,appointed by the court to represent Upadhyay,had told the court that “brick kilns,stone crushers,unchecked growth of chemical factories,unrestricted construction activity and frequent fires in the vicinity of the jail” had resulted in various health problems for the inmates.

According to the collector’s report,offences have been registered against seven persons for running illegal brick-kilns and carrying out unauthorised stone quarrying and mining activity.

The land around the prison was inspected by the Collector’s office on September 28 and the report stated no permission was granted to brick-kiln owners. The Joint Chief Controller of Explosives,who also examined the area on September 20,stated they had not granted No-Objection Certificate to those undertaking mining activity.

Taking the report on record,Justice A M Khanwilkar and Justice P D Kode disposed of the petition. The court,however,observed that Upadhyay,who is awaiting trial under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act,(MCOCA),cannot be shifted to another jail.