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MALAD MALFUNCTION A Day After TOI Expose, More Reports Surface Of Malfunctioning Machines At A Swanky Malad Complex Built On Top Of Toxic Garbage. Shalini Nair A leading computer brand has revealed that a majority of its complaints in Mumbai come from IT and BPO offices located at the Mindspace complex in Malad, which is built in and around a now-shut civic dumping ground. Garbage from the now-defunct Malad dumping ground was used to fill up marshland on which office buildings, a mall and residential housing was built. TOI reported on Monday (April 2) how corrosive and toxic gases from the garbage has led to the incessant crashing of computers, air-conditioners and other electrical and electronic equipment at the Mindspace complex. Some offices have reportedly shut and moved out of the area. The garbage at the Malad dump was never treated or stabilised during the site's closure. "We have been getting an extraordinary number of maintenance calls from customers in Mindspace, and the replacements are as high as 80% as compared to the standard failure rates of 2% to 5%. The number of calls from Mindspace alone accounts for the most complaints in Mumbai,'' said one of the many partners for the multinational brand which did not want its identity to be disclosed. Fed up with the constant complaints, the company was forced to hire the services of a Singapore-based environment consultant. The computer spare parts were tested in US and Australian laboratories and the tests revealed that high levels of sulphuric gases in the air were corroding the motherboards, hard disks, RAMs and other computer parts. The company has now issued written documents to all its corporate clients in Mindspace stating that considering the frequency and number of complaints, it can afford to attend to only 20% of the complaints in a year. "Some companies are not willing to accept our argument and have even threatened legal cases if we do not entertain their warranty calls,'' said the partner. A senior level official from a BPO service provider, which occupies an entire building and over 5,000 computers at Mindspace, said they have had 15 to 20 computers crashing every day for the past three years. "Our airconditioning plants, which are supposed to run for 15 years, would break down within a few months. It was not until we got the soil and the creek water tested that we realised that the sulphuric gases were the cause of all problems,' he told TOI. Most companies that roped in private consultants were advised to fit sulphur filters, which require an investment of crores for installation alone. In addition, there are high operation and replacement costs. "If we switched off the filter even for a day, the computers would start crashing all over again over the next couple of days. Initially, many companies bought their offices in Mindspace as it seemed a lucrative option in the suburbs, but a couple were forced to shift due to such problems,'' said an official from one of the older BPO service providers whose office is located in Mindspace. CONCRETE DREAMS TURN TOXIC: Offices and a mall were built on garbage from a nearby dump that was used to fill up marshland in Malad URL : http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDA3LzA0LzAzI0FyMDAzMDA=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom |
| Also see : Environment, Environment : News Articles |
