Mumbai Bagh shows its ‘love for India’ on V-day

MUMBAI: A series of events were organised across the city at sites where protests are being held to register opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), the National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Titled India My Valentine, these events were part of a country-wide series that featured performers like actors Naseeruddin Shah, Swara Bhasker and singer Ananya Gaur.

At the site that calls itself Mumbra’s Shaheen Bagh, after the ongoing women-led protest in New Delhi, Gaur described the event as a celebration of the “love that people protesting across the country are offering” to the country. She sang songs with lyrics by poets Kabir, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, and Amir Khusru.

“I am giving an ode to spring, which is considered a romantic season by traditional Indian poets. Though valentine is an international concept, basant [spring] is an Indian one and I don’t think anyone should object to this,” said Gaur.

Fahad Ahmad, general secretary of students’ union at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and an organiser of India My Valentine, said, “The idea is to celebrate an India that gives equal rights to everyone without any discrimination. We will restore the India our freedom fighters fought for – the India of tolerance, the India of acceptance, the India that strove to be a

better place even for her most oppressed children.” At Mumbai Bagh, in Mumbai Central, a storytelling session on the Constitution was organised on Friday.

The women protesters also paid homage to the martyrs of the Pulwama attack.

There were allegations of attempted intimidation by some police officials.

MUMBAI: Industries using furnace oil, located in critically polluted areas in Maharashtra, have been given a deadline of February 5, 2021, to reduce sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions by 90%, stated the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) as part of its new fuel policy.

The new fuel policy for industries was published on February 5 and uploaded on the MPCB’S website on Thursday.

The policy directs all industries falling in critically or severely polluted areas, irrespective of the quantity of fuel used or amount of operations, to install SO2 scrubbing systems and reduce emissions by 90% over the next year.

“In case they fail to curb SO2 pollution, they have to stop using furnace oil,” said Sudhir Srivastava, chairman, MPCB. “The policy reiterates the ban imposed on industries, except cement, to use petroleum coke as fuel,” he added. All other industries (not located in critically polluted zones) need to cut SO2 emissions by 90% within two years( by February 5, 2022).