Mumbai, Apr 22 (PTI) Even as Mumbai struggles with deteriorating air quality, the Railway Protection Force’s (RPF) Mumbai division added to the pollution on Tuesday by openly burning a heap of old paper records just outside Churchgate station.

The incident took place directly below the Mumbai office of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, located within the Churchgate railway station building, which also houses several key railway offices.

Witnesses said the burning occurred on Tuesday evening, releasing thick white smoke into the already polluted air.

A small pickup truckload of documents was set on fire in two iron trays, one large and one small, on the west side of the building. A couple of assistants were seen managing the fire in the presence of RPF officers from the Churchgate unit. Both trays were later found filled with ash.

The documents burned included a range of materials: diaries, files, identity cards, reports, and various other records.

Sources within the RPF told PTI the papers consisted of crime reports and other records from 1998 to 2023, which had been sent from the RPF office at Mumbai Central to Churchgate for disposal.

A senior railway official expressed shock over the method of disposal, especially given Churchgate’s status as one of Mumbai’s busiest railway stations.

“Such records are typically shredded, not openly burned,” the official said.

Western Railway’s Senior Divisional Security Commissioner S K Rathod responded briefly to PTI’s message, stating, “Will get it enquired.” The incident comes at a time when the National Green Tribunal’s Pune bench recently directed the Western Railway’s Divisional Railway Manager to deposit 25% of a Rs 1.6 crore fine imposed by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board for garbage dumped on tracks at Mahim.

The railways is currently challenging the order.

Over recent months, Mumbai’s air quality has sharply declined, prompting civic authorities to crack down on pollution sources. Measures include banning open garbage burning and increasing fines for violations from Rs 100 to Rs 1,000. The municipal corporation has also issued notices to eateries using charcoal tandoors.

A study by climate-tech firm Respirer Living Sciences found that PM10 levels (particulate matter with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less) in Mumbai have consistently breached the national safety threshold of 60 µg/m³—not only in winter but also in the summer—based on data collected over four years. PTI KK NSK