Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Sunday slammed the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) over its deleted tweet regarding Mercedes-Benz's assembly plant in Pune's Chakan.
The deleted tweet discussed the visit of MPCB chairman Siddhesh Kadam to the German luxury car manufacturer's facility, accompanied by a group of people. Siddhesh is the younger son of Shiv Sena leader and former environment minister Ramdas Kadam.
"Important Notice: Mercedes-Benz Assembly Plant Found Non-Compliant. During an inspection on August 23, 2024, by MPCB chairman Mr Siddhesh Kadam, it was revealed that the Mercedes-Benz assembly plant is not adhering to the pollution control guidelines set by the MPCB," read the tweet.
Meanwhile, officials of Mercedes-Benz said they did not receive any written notice or formal request from the MPCB chairman describing the claimed violation.
Now, Priyanka Chaturvedi has raised questions over the deleted tweet. "The curious case of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board’s (MPCB) deleted tweets! The MPCB Twitter handle puts out a series of tweets accusing Mercedes-Benz’s Chakan plant of flouting environmental norms after a ‘surprise check’ by the chairman; the chairman has his private PR team in tow (of course); the company gets no complaint in writing as to the nature of non-compliance; while Mercedes maintains it complies with stringent standards of environmental practices globally, MPCB deletes the tweets accusing the company after being questioned by several X users. Lol! Pollution Control Board or Khoke Board?"
"Isn’t it important that MPCB comes clean about what their specific concerns were regarding the Mercedes-Benz plant? Is it another supari to drive away business from the state? If the concerns raised are genuine, then why were the tweets deleted, and why was this not sent in writing to the manufacturer? Considering how MPCB is suddenly interested in violations, they can share some genuine cases instead of this bullying and hounding of industries," she added.
