Mumbai : Calling Mumbai “a city in decay,” Ashwani Kumar, chairman of parliamentary standing committee on science, technology, environment and forests, has said it is necessary to understand the enormity of the challenge faced by the city.
“Mumbai, which is our window to the world, is a city in decay. It was necessary for us to understand the enormity of the challenge and to know whether there exists any long term plan to revive the city,” Kumar said, while addressing a press conference here on Friday.
“We had extremely informative discussions and shared our concerns with the members of the government who came to depose before us,” he said.
Stating that growing urbanization presented a great challenge ahead, he observed, “The cities of India are going to face huge pressure in terms of migration of about 300 million in the coming 25 years. It is necessary for us to appraise ourselves about the state of affairs and take steps to ensure urban renewal.”
All aspects of urban renewal with reference to Mumbai were discussed at a meeting with representatives of civil society, urban town planners and the state, he said.
Issues of development in coastal regulation zone areas, challenges for Mumbai as a coastal city, issues of dumping grounds, open spaces, air, water and noise pollution, mangroves, satellite townships, sewage and solid waste management, health concerns, etc were discussed. After getting action plans from the authorities concerned, the committee would prepare a report within three months, he said. The committee will also visit the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. On the enforcement of CRZ rules, Kumar said the committee expected the rule of law to prevail. “We need to have harmonious interface between imperatives of development and environmental concerns,” he said.
A total of 16 civil society organisations representing sectors like forest conservation, energy efficiency, water conservation, fishermen welfare, urban dwelling, took part in the meeting.
Noted architect Hafeez Contractor was also present.
