https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/green-patches-are-being-crushed-this-is-leading-to-poor-air-quality-surendra-jondhale-8426097/ Pratip Acharya February 6, 2023
Green patches are being crushed… this is leading to poor air quality: Surendra Jondhale "Another aspect of this budget is that the BMC is going to dive into its reserves (Fixed Deposit) and they are saying that this money will be utilised for development works in city," says Jondhale.
This budget is entirely a politically shadowed administrative budget. you will see that lesser funds are being allotted to the education and health department, just like the Union budget for this year.
Another aspect of this budget is that the BMC is going to dive into its reserves (Fixed Deposit) and they are saying that this money will be utilised for development works in city. ( see Udhav Thackeray response to PM's suggestion in this regard )
This year we have seen the municipal commissioner speaking majorly about mitigating air pollution. They have also earmarked Rs 25 crore for this purpose. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has also spoken about mitigating air pollution of Mumbai and she has connected the current situation with better waste management. The situation in Mumbai today is the result of prolonged incorrect waste management. Air pollution is just an additional factor, the unmanaged construction works, open debris dumping and garbage burning are the primary contributing factors for bad air quality. These factors need to be addressed first, then only the problem could be solved at a holistic level.
These problems wouldn’t have risen in the first place, if the city had enough green patches and trees. For example, the Aarey forest is like an oasis to the Mumbai metropolis. Whatever green patches are left in the city now are now being crushed for real estate or infrastructure projects. The lack of trees around is only resulting in poorer air quality nowadays.
This budget is proposed solely keeping the upcoming elections in mind.