The Chief Minister rushed to control pollution in the state.

 The Chief Minister rushed to control pollution in the state.

1000 tankers for road cleaning in Mumbai

Special squads for dust cleaning of roads

Instructions from Chief Minister Eknath Shinde

          Mumbai, 9th: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has taken steps to improve the quality of air in the state of pollution control. The action plan that has been implemented to improve the air quality index should be expedited, he instructed. All administrative machinery should work together in the direction of a pollution-free Maharashtra, he directed. To control dust on the roads in Mumbai, 1000 tankers should be brought in for water spraying. Special squads should be appointed for this. The construction sites of MMRDA should be made dust-free and clean. The use of anti-smog guns and sprinklers should be increased, the Chief Minister told the Municipal Commissioner.

            In this meeting held at "Varsha", the official residence of the Chief Minister, all regional revenue commissioners, district collectors, municipal commissioners, police superintendents, and chief executive officers participated through video conferencing. Mumbai Municipal Commissioner I.S. Chahal, Additional Chief Secretary of Public Works Department Manisha Mhaiskar, Metropolitan Commissioner of MMRDA Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, Principal Secretary of Environment Department Praveen Darade, Principal Secretary of Urban Development Department Govindraj, Chief Executive Officer of MIDC Vipin Sharma, Principal Secretary of Transport Department Parag Jain, etc. were present to the meeting.

Pollution-free campaign should be publicised

            Chief Minister Mr. Shinde said that all municipal corporations and various state government departments should work together to effectively implement the measures taken to improve air quality in cities including Mumbai. Citizens should participate in the pollution prevention campaign and create public awareness, he said.

Water spraying should be done to prevent the spread of dust

            To prevent the spread of dust due to construction works at various places in Mumbai, the roads should be cleaned by water spraying. Special squads should be appointed to clean the dust collected, the Chief Minister instructed at this time. The number of tankers for road cleaning should be increased to 1000, he also said. The Chief Minister instructed that all construction sites in Mumbai and the metropolitan area where development works are underway through MMRDA should be dust-free. While laying the sheets to prevent dust from vehicles on the roads, all these places should be made dust-free, the Chief Minister instructed. Citizens should not be inconvenienced while travelling due to the sheets laid, he told the Municipal Commissioner.

While carrying soil, and debris, it should be covered

            The Chief Minister said that all municipal corporations and cities should strictly follow the orders and guidelines given by the High Court to control the most polluted places in the city. The Chief Minister suggested that the transport department should take action against the vehicles that do not cover the soil and debris from the roads while transporting them.

Urban forests should be increased

            Municipal corporations should take the initiative to increase the urban forest area (Miyawaki) in the cities of the state. Tree planting should be done in the maidan. Use sprinklers to reduce the amount of dust. It is necessary to control the pollution in the air while planning pollution prevention. The Chief Minister instructed to use cloud seeding to reduce dust pollution in Mumbai.

The fortnightly report on pollution control measures should be submitted

            The Chief Minister also instructed to submit a fortnightly report of the pollution control measures taken in the state. At this time, experts from IIT gave information about the measures to be taken to reduce pollution. The state should take the initiative to study the effects on health due to pollution, the experts suggested at this time.