Reported by Tikam Shekhawat
Pune, 24th August 2024: A recent inspection by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) at the Mercedes-Benz assembly plant in Pune has stirred a major controversy, raising concerns about the board’s operational transparency and adherence to protocols.
The inspection, led by MPCB Chairperson Sidhesh Kadam, revealed that the Mercedes-Benz plant was non-compliant with the state’s pollution control guidelines. However, the controversy stems from the fact that the MPCB had not issued any prior notice or warning to Mercedes-Benz India regarding non-compliance in the past year. This lack of communication has drawn criticism from various quarters, questioning the effectiveness and fairness of the board’s monitoring processes.
The controversy stirred when it was discovered that MPCB Chairperson Kadam visited the Mercedes-Benz plant with a large entourage of approximately 35 individuals. Notably, only a small fraction of this group were actual MPCB officers, leading to suspicions about the purpose and nature of the visit.
In response to MPCB Tweet, Mercedes-Benz India has issued a statement “Mercedes-Benz is in its 30th year of operations in India, with the state-of-art manufacturing facility in Chakan in its 15th year of operations, which is a benchmark in automotive manufacturing in India. The company sets high priority to adhere to the most stringent global standards in production quality, to uphold high environment and sustainability practices and to comply to mandatory regulations and requirements. We have not received any written notice or formal request from MPCB describing the claimed violations. We are ready to cooperate with the authorities and present all the required processes and documentation, and take any corrective actions, if required.”