Palak Shah / Mumbai September 3, 2008, 0:40 IST Over 100 chemical storage tanks built at the Pirpav jetty near Chembur have been operating without approvals from the ministry of environment and forests for over 18 years. Each of these tanks has an average capacity of 200,000 kilolitres of oil. Companies owning these tanks storing and discharging hazardous chemicals in dense residential areas on Mumbai Port Trust land include government-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), Aegis Logistics, Chemical Terminal of Trombay and Sealoard Containers. Replying to queries raised by a Mumbai resident under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the ministry said it had never given any approval to these companies, which is mandatory before such oil storage tanks could be set up. The RTI reply, dated August 6 this year and signed by A Senthil Vel, additional director in the environment ministry, has now directed the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) to