'Maharashtra Government Is Only Good At Holding Events': Congress' Varsha Gaikwad Slams Shinde Regime Over Mumbai Air Pollution

Mumbai Regional Congress Committee President Varsha Gaikwad on Tuesday pulled up the Eknath Shinde-led government for simply holding an “event” in the name of pollution control measures instead of taking concrete steps to tackle the issue. Speaking at the legislative assembly, Gaikwad said the government was more interested in showmanship than taking measures to curb pollution in Mumbai.

Gaikwad informed the assembly that according to the IITB National Environmental Engineering Report, large-scale construction and development projects were the source of 71 per cent of polluted matter.

'Government only makes an appearance during cleanliness events'

“Proper evaluation and management are required and policies have to be formulated at the earliest [to mitigate the issue]. We already know the situation of Delhi; will Mumbai also become like that?” Gaikwad said.

“The Government is only good at holding events. When the CM visited Dharavi, he sprayed some water and called it ‘deep clean’. However, the BMC had already cleaned the area the previous night. The government only makes an appearance during its cleanliness programmes. A day later, rubbish starts appearing on the road again. Who is responsible for that?” Gaikwad said.

Ram Kadam responds

Responding to Gaikwad, BJP leader Ram Kadam said pollution was coming down, and roads were being cleaned. “If that is the case, then the roads must be cleaned daily and not just during a superficial visit or event,” Gaikwad responded.