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Ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the Mumbai unit of the Congress on Sunday published a “clean air action plan manifesto” promising that if voted to power, the party will make clean air a “fundamental right” of every resident of the city.
“Around 5,100 Mumbaikars die every year because the government looks the other way. This is a health emergency, and the Congress is the only party with a plan. We do not want excuses; we want clean air. Therefore, we have launched the clean air action plan manifesto,” said Mumbai Congress chief and Lok Sabha MP Varsha Gaikwad.
Apart from the “right to clean air”, the Congress has promised that the infrastructure for monitoring air quality will be strengthened by 24×7 monitoring in pollution hotspots. “Within the next five years, Mumbai’s Air Quality Index (AQI) will be brought to a safe level of 40-60. Large AQI display boards will be installed in every ward, major intersection, bus station, railway station, and metro station. Hourly AQI updates will be available online and via mobile apps. Malfunctioning sensors will be repaired within 24 hours,” the manifesto read.
The Congress added that pollution sources would be publicly listed online, ward by ward, adding that every construction site must have fogging guns, green nets, wheel-wash systems, and anti-dust mechanisms, with strict fines in place for violations. Along with a “name and shame” list of non-compliant builders to be made public, the party has promised biannual emission audits and expansion of BEST electric buses, with air filters mandatory for all diesel buses.
The Congress has set a target of planting 1 million new trees across the city over the next five years, with protection for mangroves, coastal greenery, and the Aarey forest.
A Mumbai Clean Air War Room will be established along with an Air Quality Management Department, the Congress said, adding that ward officers would be directly accountable for dust control. The BMC’s annual report will include AQI targets, and monthly review meetings with NGOs and citizen groups will be held, as per the manifesto.
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