India’s PFAS Plant Sparks Protests Over Transfer of “Forever Chemicals” From Italy

Laxmi Organic Industries bought the defunct Miteni PFAS plant in Vicenza, Italy, dismantled the equipment and reassembled it in Lote Parshuram, south of Mumbai. The plant, which had been shut in 2018 after contaminating a major aquifer used by over 350,000 people in Vicenza, Verona and Padua, resumed PFAS production in early 2025. On 8 January 2026, demonstrators gathered outside the Lote gates; by April, thousands were marching, demanding regulation of the “forever chemicals”.

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• 2018 – Miteni plant closed after aquifer contamination.

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• Mar 2018 – Documents show relocation plans for an Indian facility were already prepared.

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• Jun 2025 – Former Miteni executives convicted for the contamination.

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• Jan 8 2026 – First protest at Lote Parshuram.

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• Feb 2 2026 – Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari demanded a federal investigation.

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• Apr 2026 – Thousands again protested in Lote.

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The Italian aquifer contamination affected over 350,000 residents. A former Miteni worker recorded the highest PFAS level ever measured in human blood. Laxmi’s Lote plant has been fully operational since early 2025, supplying PFAS for pesticides, pharmaceuticals, dyes and cosmetics. Thousands of locals have joined street protests.

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Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari called for a federal probe, noting the lack of any PFAS regulation in India. Environment Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh wrote that India has no law banning PFAS manufacturing. Laxmi’s spokesperson said the company complies fully with Indian regulations and denied any pollution allegations.

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Writer-filmmaker Varrun Sukhraj, founder of The Next Indians, argues that moving contaminated equipment abroad sidesteps responsibility and forces communities to choose between jobs and health. Protests have united local residents, NGOs and European parliamentarians demanding stricter controls on PFAS.

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Documents show relocation plans were prepared months before the Italian shutdown, raising questions about the timing and intent of the transfer. Laxmi has not answered multiple requests for comment, and India still lacks a specific PFAS ban, leaving a regulatory gap.

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• “This pollution-related controversy has exposed major concerns over the transfer from Europe to India of industrial equipment linked to pollution, and over the lack of Pfas regulations in the country,” — Pramod Tiwari, Rajya Sabha MP

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• “For years we were told this was the price of development. But no community should be forced to choose between jobs and health. What has been rejected in Europe cannot simply be moved elsewhere and repackaged as progress.” — Varrun Sukhraj, writer, filmmaker, founder of The Next Indians

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The Indian parliament is expected to debate PFAS regulation, while European lawmakers continue work on a continent-wide PFAS ban. Activists plan further demonstrations in Lote and coordinated actions with European partners, keeping pressure on Laxmi and national authorities.

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