Mumbai: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday directed all the state government agencies to work unitedly in mission mode to control air pollution. Decisions to hire 1000 tankers to wash roads in Mumbai and increase deployment of sprinklers and anti-smog guns too were made during a meeting at CM's official residence Varsha.
The CM also directed officials to implement the HC directives on limited fireworks between 7 pm and 10 pm for Mumbai residents to keep air pollution in check during the festival of lights next week.
"I have given instructions to concerned authorities to take up the task of curbing pollution on a war footing. The BMC has been asked to use more manpower to clean roads using water and hire tankers for the purpose," the CM Shinde told the reporters after the meeting.
Shinde on Miyawaki forests
CM Shinde also said that the municipal corporations should take lead in raising urban forests (Miyawaki forests). He also directed officials to use the cloud seeding method to control the particulate matter in air in Mumbai. The CM also directed the authorities to present weekly progress in the measures taken to curb air pollution.
Experts from IIT gave a presentation on various measures that can be taken to curb air pollution. They also appealed the state government to undertake a study about the effects of air pollution on health.
Shinde directs officials to form special task force to make roads dust free
CM then directed officials to form a special task force to make Mumbai roads dust free. One thousand water tankers will be hired to spray water on the roads in the city. The MMRDA construction sites too will be cleaned and made dust free. The BMC officials have been directed to deploy more anti-smog guns and sprinklers for that, a senior CMO official said after the meeting.
CM Shinde also appealed to officials to involve citizen groups in the efforts to keep air clean and make the mission a people's movement.
Covering the construction sites from all sides while keeping them clean and dust free, covering the carriers of the vehicles that carry debris and dust and action against vehicles that don't adhere to these measures were some of the other decisions made at the meeting.
Chief Secretary Manoj Saunik, ACS PWD Manisha Mhaskar, MMRDA commissioner Sanjay Mukharjee, BMC commissioner I S Chahal, Principal Secretary of Environment department Praveen Darade, Principal Secretary of urban development department Govindraj, MIDC CED Vipin Sharma, and Principal Secretary of Transport department Parag Jain attended the meeting while all divisional commissioners, municipal commissioners, police superintendents, COs of ZPs joined the meeting through video conferencing.
