Mumbai Municipal Corporation Creates Seven-Member Committee To Prepare Action Plan For Dust-Free City

Mumbai, 13th March 2023: The air quality in Mumbai has deteriorated, and a seven-member committee has been formed to find a solution to the increasing pollution. Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has directed that this committee should submit its report within seven days. The measures for this ‘dust-free Mumbai’ will be implemented from 1st April.

Pollution has increased in Mumbai for the last three-four months. The air here is worse than in Delhi. Therefore, questions are being asked from all levels about the exact measures taken by the municipality. The municipal commissioner has proposed seven policies in the budget to solve pollution. Its actual implementation will be done in April.

Due to the changes in the air, including the large-scale development works and constructions taking place in Mumbai Metropolis and Mumbai region, the air quality level has deteriorated. Dust is the main factor responsible for pollution. A committee of seven members has been formed under the chairmanship of Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) Dr Sanjeev Kumar. Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal directed that the committee should submit a report within seven days, and based on that, strict implementation of the measures will be started from 1st April 2023.

The seven-member committee also included the Deputy Commissioner (Environment), Deputy Commissioner (Infrastructure), Deputy Commissioner (Solid Waste Management), Chief Engineer (Development Planning), a representative of the Municipal Commissioner’s Office, Executive Engineer Satish Geete and six members nominated by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board.

The municipal commissioner held a review meeting on Sunday in the background of air pollution in Mumbai, the Mumbai beautification project, and the G20 conference meeting to be held in Mumbai at the end of March 2023. The instructions were given at that time. All additional commissioners and officers of the municipality were present in this meeting.

The Mumbai metropolis has experienced an air pollution situation like never before. In the post-Covid period, dust generated from large-scale construction and various development activities, along with changes in air conditions and velocity, have been found to be two major factors. At present, more than 5000 different works are going on in Mumbai. Therefore, it has been directed to submit a report within seven days on the three aspects of measures to control the dust generated from the site of these various construction and development works, methods of implementing the measures by intimation to all concerned stakeholders and strict action to be taken in case of violation of the measures, rules and instructions.