Mumbai Congress chief urges Maharashtra govt to tackle rising air pollution, implement MVA ‘action plan’

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Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad has raised concerns about the rising pollution levels in Mumbai. She claimed that the city's air quality index has exceeded dangerous levels in recent days, leading to respiratory problems among the population. Gaikwad has called on the Maharashtra government to implement the climate action plan from the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi regime. She has also called for an audit of expenses related to all projects in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and criticized the significant cost increases in these projects.

According to Gaikwad, the government should consider the views of opposition parties on matters of public interest. She insisted that the Mumbai Climate Action Plan, which was developed during the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, should be put into action, Gaikwad said in a statement.

She highlighted that Mumbai's air pollution is largely caused by dust from roads and construction, according to research by NEERI and IITB, with the remaining pollution stemming from factories, power plants, airports, and garbage dumps.

"A few years ago, Delhi had the worst air quality level, but Mumbai has overtaken Delhi too. The heat and humidity has also increased due to smog. This is affecting the health of Mumbaikars and there has been an increase in respiratory diseases," she said.

The Mumbai Climate Action Plan, as per Gaikwad, includes measures like regulating construction hours, enforcing air and noise pollution rules at construction sites, establishing eco-parks in various areas, and implementing proper waste disposal practices at dumping grounds.

Gaikwad has urged the government not to compromise the health of Mumbaikars for political gains and to seriously consider implementing the plan. She emphasized that children and senior citizens are also suffering due to the current environmental situation and calls for concrete measures.

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In addition to her concerns about pollution, Gaikwad has also demanded an audit of project expenses in the MMR and wants to know if cost increases were intentional and for mutual benefits. She mentions several stalled infrastructure projects, including the Goregaon-Mulund link road, Dahisar-Bhayandar elevated corridor, Vikhroli railway flyover, and coastal road, which were meant to address traffic congestion. She alleges that these projects have been neglected by the current government in favor of political activities.

Gaikwad provided examples of significant cost escalations in these projects, such as the two-fold increase in the cost of the Goregaon-Mulund link road and the higher costs of the Dahisar-Bhayander elevated road, coastal route, and Vikhroli railway flyover.

Gaikwad said the Goregaon-Mulund link road was supposed to cost Rs 6,301 crore, but the price has increased two-fold to Rs 12,013 crore. The cost of Dahisar-Bhayander elevated road has reached from Rs 1,981 crore to Rs 3,304 crore.

The cost of the coastal route has also increased by over Rs 1,000 crore. For the Vikhroli railway flyover, Rs 95 crore will be spent now instead of Rs 37 crore earlier, the Congress leader said.

"The MVA expedited the projects during the pandemic. However, these projects have been stuck for over a year. Instead of these projects, the government wasted Rs 1,700 crore on fake colours and lights in the name of beautification. The Shinde-Fadnavis-Pawar government has no vision of sustainable development," Gaikwad claimed. (With inputs from PTI)