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Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Thackerays’ ‘Taandav’ for trees, tigers

AI generated image Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray launched a sharp attack on the government for the systematic degradation of the state’s environment under the garb of development, even as the climate change poses a direct threat to the environment, economy, agriculture, public health and the future of both rural and urban centres. Questioning the state government’s claims of having planted millions of trees, he rued how the World Environment Day has been...

Thackerays’ ‘Taandav’ for trees, tigers

AI generated image Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray launched a sharp attack on the government for the systematic degradation of the state’s environment under the garb of development, even as the climate change poses a direct threat to the environment, economy, agriculture, public health and the future of both rural and urban centres. Questioning the state government’s claims of having planted millions of trees, he rued how the World Environment Day has been reduced to an annual ritual of tree-planting drives and clicking selfies for social media, though 90 pc of the saplings don’t survive even a day. “Only the government knows where those trees really are,” said Raj sternly. He recalled a "Blueprint of Maharashtra’s Development" he had proposed in 2015, in which he advocated how development without environmental sensitivity is hollow. Justifying, he said that the consequences are visible where roads, bridges and infrastructure projects are hailed as achievements, but even a short spell of rainfall can paralyze entire cities. Referring to recent reports on farmers returning from the fields after 10 am due to the scorching heat, Raj said that the worsening climate crisis has become an everyday reality. Citing official statistics, Raj claimed that extreme heat has caused productivity losses of nearly USD 159 billion and slashing of 160 billion work-hours annually in recent years. He mentioned the World Bank estimates that India’s GDP could plummet by 2.5-4.5 pc while 57 pc of the country’s districts sheltering 76 pc of the population stare at serious climate-related crises. Taking a swipe, he said while the governments boast about growth figures and economical rankings, they are silent on the staggering costs of environmental destruction. He questioned the development model “whether flooded cities, washed-away crops and unbearable summers” genuinely indicate progress. Claiming that Maharashtra was increasingly becoming unliveable for upto 8 months in a year, he said excessive monsoon rains disrupt rural life and urban floods cripple cities, while extreme heat make normal life a torture in summers in both urban-rural areas. Targeting the Centre, Raj alleged that nearly 173,984 hectares of forest lands were diverted in the past 11 years for mining and infrastructure projects to benefit the PM’s single favourite Adani Group. He said that these lands amount to 1,730 sqkm, or equivalent to the area of 16 Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) that is spread over barely 104 sqkm. Dissolve state wildlife board: Aaditya Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray has accused the Maharashtra government for issuing a permit to carry out mining activity in the sensitive tiger corridor between the Tadoba-Andhari and Indravati sanctuaries housing the big striped cats. In a strongly-worded letter to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Member-Secretary Sanjay Kumar, Thackeray sought his immediate personal intervention, sacking the Maharashtra State Board for Wild-Life (SBWL), revoking the permit, and probe against the Chief Wildlife Warden & Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) M. Srinivasa Reddy for the alleged lacunae. Aditya’s two-pager says the permit has been granted for “scientific exploration and excavation/systematic recovery of low-grade iron ore in existing mines in villages Hedri, Bande, Parsalgondi and Round Parsalgondi, in the Etapalli taluka of Gadchiroli district”. Last January, Aditya – MLA from Worli – had first raised the issue saying that the proposed mine would create only 120 jobs, including 32 permanent, and the estimated output is pegged at 1.1 million tons in a year. Referring to two letters of Reddy – on April 28 and May 21 – the SS (UBT) leader claimed that in communications to the state government, the PCCF had changed his stance on the issue. Aditya said that in the first letter, Reddy had effectively opposed the government plans for mining activity but in the second letter, he took a somersault, ostensibly due to government pressures or some commercial interests, “the U-turn is disgraceful and detrimental to India’s national interest” – and this abrupt shift in stance must be investigated thoroughly. In view of the contrary stance of the PCCF Reddy, entrusted with protecting the wildlife but failing to defend the NTCA and NBWL, point to serious malfunctioning of the SBWL, and hence it must be dissolved, besides reviewing all its decisions in the past three years, particularly those pertaining to hazardous activities in sensitive areas, demanded Aditya. 444 tigers roam in 11,000 sq.km As per the Status of Tiger Report (2002), and the Maharashtra Economic Survey 2025-2026, the state boasts of 444 tigers prowling in the wild along with other menacing creatures. The state’s total protected wildlife network of 88 Notified Areas of National Parks, Sanctuaries, and Conservation Reserves - including 6 dedicated to the striped big cats – is spread over 11,092 sq. kms as per current data.

Fadnavis tightens grip

Mumbai: Even as the Maratha quota stir in Mumbai ended on Tuesday and leader of the stir Manoj Jarange-Patil yet again portrayed as a hero, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has emerged victorious and has actually tightened his grip on the state.


“From the beginning we were ready for implementation of records of Hyderabad gazetteer. I’m happy that after deliberations with the cabinet sub-committee the activists finally agreed to proposals put forth by the committee. The decision has preserved the social fabric of Maharashtra from eroding,” Fadnavis said while expressing satisfaction over the way the agitation in Mumbai ended today. He also gave credit to the cabinet sub-committee and both the Deputy Chief Ministers while enumerating various measures the Mahayuti governments have taken for the Maratha community.


“The decision to will help the needy and eligible individuals from Maratha community while giving confidence to those from the OBC communities that injustice is not being done to them,” the CM said while elaborating the real meaning of the decisions made today.


“We don’t have any grudges for the state government now,” Jarange-Patil said as he ended his indefinite fast by consuming lemon water at the hands of Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, the head of the cabinet sub-committee on Maratha quota. This was the most dramatic moment in the whole episode. The agitators were cursing CM Fadnavis over his caste, his physical appearance, his family-members and their hooliganism made the Mumbaikars believe that the doomsday is near. The condition rapidly transformed from that moment on and hardly within half a day the agitation in Mumbai was winded up. Vikhe-Patil gave the credit for this to CM Fadnavis.


As members of the team in CMO put it, the CM was very confident and firm since the very beginning of the agitation. Firstly, while expressing the government’s desire to hold talks with the agitators, he let them come to the heart of Mumbai without official discussing a word with them. They came to the main business district of Mumbai, which was a dream for most of them. It emboldened the activists as they felt it was their success. Then for next couple of days they realized they won’t be able to survive in Mumbai much without the covert support of the administration. This had two reactions, while the causal participants of the agitation roamed around freely across the city showing their perceived strength, the leaders of the agitation started seeking communication channels for negotiations.


At this point the CM made it clear that the solution will be within the legal framework. He also made clear the shortcomings of the demands being raised by the activists. The solution was already almost ready with the government by this point of time. Then the courts and the pressure of judiciary came handy to make the activists agree to the pre-decided proposals. This was a solution that made everybody happy.


The CM was ‘Mr Cool’ in his conduct and appearance during the whole episode. “There people who were working hard. There were some who were pretending to work hard and there were many others who remained absolutely clueless for the entire period,” said a senior CMO associate while describing the scenario at the CMO during the whole episode. Such a situation is possible only when the leader as complete control over the situation and a keen sense as to when and how a situation can escalate, the official added.


As political commentator Bhau Torsekar puts it, the stir is Mumbai has created the effect on the minds of common people of the MMR region which can be compared to those of the Shaheen bag and Farmers’ agitation created in Delhi. Torsekar blames adverse effects of these agitations for the devastating defeat of the AAP in Delhi and says that one should not be surprised if similar results are seen in the elections of BMC and other Municipal Corporations of the MMR region.


Also, the fact that DCM Eknath Shinde, who was hailed for being able to successfully managing the previous agitation of Jarange and not letting them enter Mumbai, didn’t have much role to play this time around. That is yet another aspect which underlined Fadnavis’ tightened grip on the state politics.

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