In a significant move ahead of the civic polls, the Mumbai Congress on Sunday unveiled a comprehensive manifesto titled the 'Mumbai Clean Air Action Plan,' vowing to tackle the city's escalating air pollution crisis. The party declared that if elected to power in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), it will commit to making Mumbai pollution-free.
Key Promises of the Clean Air Manifesto
The manifesto sets an ambitious target to bring Mumbai's Air Quality Index (AQI) down to a safe level of 40 to 60 within the next five years. This pledge comes as a direct response to the deteriorating air quality that has placed Mumbai among the most polluted cities globally. City Congress President and MP Varsha Gaikwad launched a sharp critique against the current administration, stating, "Pollution in Mumbai has reached a very bad level, and respiratory diseases are increasing."
Gaikwad attributed the toxic air not to natural causes but to the "neglect, carelessness, and lack of efforts of the corrupt, irresponsible, and opportunistic government." She emphatically promised that a Congress-led BMC would secure the "right to breathe for Mumbaikars from the very first day." A cornerstone of this plan is the establishment of a dedicated Air Quality Management Department within the BMC to spearhead the efforts.
Concrete Measures Against Pollution Sources
The action plan outlines a multi-pronged strategy to address the primary sources of pollution. It identifies large-scale road paving, unchecked construction, and rampant tree cutting as major contributors to the city's poor air quality. The Congress manifesto accuses contractors, builders, and an indifferent government of failing the people.
The party has pledged to implement a real-time AQI monitoring system across the city, making data public and holding the administration accountable. Other key measures include:
- Strict control on construction pollution and industrial smoke to achieve a 'Zero Black-Smoke Mumbai.'
- Comprehensive reforms in transport policy and control of traffic pollution.
- Implementation of an emergency action plan for severe AQI conditions, which it claims will be stricter than Delhi's Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
- Expansion of green spaces under the 'Green Mumbai 2030' initiative, including the plantation of 1 million trees in the next five years.
- Priority protection for vulnerable groups like children, senior citizens, patients, and laborers.
Securing the Right to Clean Air
The manifesto formally enshrines clean air as a fundamental right for the city's residents. It states, "Clean air is the fundamental right of every Mumbaikar. Providing healthy air will be the first and highest responsibility of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation." This principle will be embedded into municipal policy, framing the provision of healthy air as the BMC's paramount duty.
By presenting this detailed roadmap, the Mumbai Congress has positioned the issue of air pollution at the forefront of its civic campaign, promising a determined fight for what it calls the fundamental right of Mumbaikars to clean and safe air.
