The Mumbai Congress on Sunday unveiled a comprehensive 10-point action plan aimed at tackling the city’s worsening air quality and growing environmental challenges, reported the PTI.
Named “Mumbai Congress Mission – Wipe Out Pollution”, the plan outlines immediate, medium-term, and long-term measures to improve air quality and ensure citizen health and environmental sustainability, party leaders said.
Former Maharashtra minister and Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad presented the plan at Marine Drive alongside senior party leaders.
In a post on X, Gaikwad criticised the current state government for neglecting the environment, blaming unregulated construction and contractor-friendly policies for poisoning the city’s air. She described the city as “choking under smog and the BJP’s ‘contractor raj’” and reiterated that clean air is a fundamental right for all Mumbaikars.
5,100 Mumbaikars die every year because the government looks the other way.
This is a health emergency and Congress is the only party with a plan.
We don’t want excuses, we want clean air. Mumbai Congress has launched the Clean Air Action Plan Manifesto.
We will fight for… pic.twitter.com/oGgHVLscmm
— Prof. Varsha Eknath Gaikwad (@VarshaEGaikwad) November 30, 2025
The plan includes strict restrictions during high pollution episodes: night-time construction curbs when AQI reaches 200–300, halting non-essential construction above 300, and stopping all dust-generating activities when AQI exceeds 400. The Congress also proposed prioritising protection for vulnerable groups, such as children, senior citizens, patients, and labourers, including the installation of air purifiers in schools and distribution of N95 masks. Outdoor school activities would be suspended whenever the AQI crosses 200, according to the PTI.
A major component of the plan, “Green Mumbai 2030”, focuses on increasing the city’s green cover. The initiative aims to plant one million trees over the next five years, implement tree plantations near large construction sites, protect mangroves and forests like Aarey, and develop vertical gardens along metro pillars and flyovers, party leaders said, as per the PTI.
To improve accountability, the Congress has proposed the creation of a Mumbai Clean Air War Room, a 24/7 monitoring and rapid-response system, along with an air quality management department. Annual ward-level air quality audits and monthly review meetings involving NGOs and citizens will ensure transparency. Joint inspection teams will enforce compliance and take strict action against violators, the news agency reported.
For long-term structural improvements, the plan calls for mandatory AQI impact assessments for all infrastructure projects, development of green corridors and breathing zones, and creation of safe perimeters around major project sites. An upgraded GRAP-style graded response system tailored for Mumbai would automatically implement pollution restrictions during spikes, reported the PTI.
The Congress stated that the mission aims to balance urban growth with environmental responsibility, addressing unchecked dust emissions, continuous construction, and the loss of greenery as key factors worsening the city’s air quality.
(with PTI inputs)
