Pune: Mula-Mutha Riverfront Development Project Suspended By Maharashtra Government, PM Modi Had Recently Launched It
Pune, 14th March 2022: A week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Mula-Mutha Riverfront Development project, the Maharashtra state government has halted the project citing environmental concerns.
Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), which is the ruling party in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), had rushed to get the project launched ahead of the civic body elections. However, the Rs 4,700 crore project will be delayed as a result of a tussle between the BJP and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and MP Vandana Chavan had raised doubts about the project after environmental organisations voiced concerns about the project’s environmental impact.
The environmentalists have argued that biodiversity would be destroyed. Following this, on Saturday, a meeting was conducted in Mumbai.
After the meeting, NCP State President and Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil said that a committee will submit a report in the next eight to 10 days. Following this, a meeting will be held with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP President Sharad Pawar, post that a decision will be reached.
Patil added, “The water flowing from the river basin, especially, the water flowing during floods, will be studied. The views of environmental organizations will also be heard. The work order of the river bank improvement project is likely to be suspended temporarily. The Pune Municipal Corporation has done a study on this project. However, the environmental organizations opposed it.”
BJP state president Chandrakant Patil objected to the decision of the state government.
