The cost of industrial development in Chandrapur is being paid in human lives and the numbers are damning.
Between January 2023 and May 2026, air pollution-linked diseases have hospitalised 31,073 people and killed 375 in Chandrapur, according to data now surfacing from medical records. Severe respiratory infections accounted for 11,231 patients and 69 deaths. Asthma claimed 90 lives from 6,619 cases. Bronchitis killed 199 from 6,224 cases. Lung cancer added 19 more deaths. The air in this city ringed by thermal plants, coal mines and heavy industry is quietly killing people, and authorities are looking the other way.
Experts point the finger squarely at the Environment Department and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. Neither is taking strict action against polluting industries, residents and activists allege. The demand now: real enforcement, not paperwork.
Dr. Milind Kamble of Chandrapur Government Medical College has urged residents to wear masks regularly, get respiratory check-ups and keep track of symptoms. Necessary advice — but it places the burden on victims, not perpetrators.
World Environment Day may come and go. Chandrapur residents don’t have the luxury of marking it. They’re just trying to breathe.
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