‘DEVPT SHOULD NOT DESTROY ENVIRONMENT’

MUMBAI: A day after the Centre cleared the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) for Mumbai and Mumbai suburbs, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said that the model of development should not lead to destruction of environment. Thackeray, while inaugurating ‘Wildlife Week’ in Mumbai, said that the “crazy dream of development” comes at the cost of destruction.

He further said that people have already encroached on forest land and areas enough and that we need to keep checking our developmental model as it should not ultimately lead us all to destruction.

The CM said that developers have heaved a sigh of relief as more areas open up for construction, but where will the ancillary civic facilities, water supply, sanitation, etc, come from. Thackeray’s remarks suggested that with the added residential or commercial spaces, the load on the civic infrastructure including water supply, sanitation would increase. The Shiv Sena controls the Mumbai civic. The clearance of CZMP came months ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, which it will contest against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“Today, I read that the CRZ rules have been relaxed. I am not against development. With the relaxation [in CRZ regulation], the builders (developers) in Mumbai have heaved a sigh of relief. While the road for the constuction of new buildings has definitely opened up, but while doing so how will water supply be provided, how will the sanitation work out. These questions need to be addressed,” the chief minister said. “Political leaders must also taught the importance of environment and nature. Many times, laws are amended according to their convenience. We give relaxations and go ahead without realising the destruction we cause.”