Aaditya Thackeray Holds A Committee Meeting For Climate Change

Environment and Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray recently held a committee meeting to discuss climate change with Vidhan Parishad Chairperson Ramraje Nimbalkar and Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe. They discussed mitigation and adaptation measures for climate change with the environment ministry. 

This afternoon Vidhan Parishad Chairperson Ramraje Nimbalkar ji & Dy Chairperson @neelamgorhe ji held a committee meeting for climate change mitigation and adaptation measures with environment ministry. We discussed the measures, Maharashtra must take for the same pic.twitter.com/J2kmQo0Vur

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) February 11, 2020

Also Read: Save Aarey: Aaditya Thackeray Seeks Expert's Opinion On Aarey Forest Issue

On Monday, February 10, Aaditya Thackeray signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Forum of Environmental Journalists in India (FEJI) which is a countrywide network of journalists.  The seminar was held at Press Club in Mumbai and he said that he is planning to give impetus to e-buses and also intends to plant 4 lakh trees in Mumbai using the Miyawaki technique. Aaditya Thackeray stated that he will soon hold a press conference to discuss climate change in the state. 

The Mou was presented by FEJI Joint Secretary Atul Deulgaonkar to Aaditya Thackeray which had highlighted the following points: 

• Take immediate steps to protect Aarey
• Pay special attention to adding more buses
• Introduce bus-lanes and cease massive projects on private vehicular transport
• Take action to address the current crisis of water, air and environmental degradation in the State.

 Also Read: Metro 3 Car Shed At Aarey Colony: To Be Or Not To Be?

In a recent Harvard US-India Initiative (HUII) that was held at Taj in Colaba, Aaditya Thackeray highlighted the issue of Aarey and climate change and said, 

"Aarey isn’t just about trees. I understand that when you want to create highways, create dams, you want to have the infrastructure, somewhere you will have deforestation. I will not deny that. Because you will have lands with forest areas which can be put for some other uses. The point is, do you really want to take away the city’s flood plain and convert it into something that can be put at somewhere as well. The environmental cost is extremely important."  

 Also Read: Will Metro operations compensate for the ecological loss in Aarey?