CM Devendra Fadnavis has created a music video about the relevance of rivers which is known as “Mumbai River Anthem”. However, activists said that the Chief Minister was being a hypocrite and brought the fact to surface that it was CM Devendra Fadnavis’ government that scrapped the River Regulation Zone (RRZ) policy, which was constructed in 2000 with the aim to protect rivers from pollution.
The RRZ policy restricted industrial development along the riverbanks for the span of 15 years and later was amended in 2009 with rigorous norms. The policy stated that the areas within two kilometres of high flood lines on either side of the river basins should be declared as no-development zones. No-development zones are areas where no construction, inclusive of commercial or residential buildings, can happen.
In 2015, the Fadnavis government suddenly scrapped the RRZ policy, declaring it legally flawed. At the time, activists had indicated that the policy was within the frame of law, and was according to powers under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Activists claimed that CM Fadnavis was being a hypocrite as he's claiming to support the cause in the music video.
Stalin Dayanand, from the NGO Vanashakti, told Mid-Day, “He has never walked the talk in matters of the environment. He was instrumental in removing the RRZ policy and keeping Maharashtra in the dubious list of states with the most polluted river stretches in India. Instead of acting against polluters and giving the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) a free hand to curb pollution, he has chosen to engage in a song and dance.”
The four rivers- Poisar, Dahisar, Oshiwara, and Mithi have over the years, deteriorated due to increasing pollution and urbanisation.
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