Overview
- In a letter to BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, Thackeray urges an immediate seven-day pause on all private construction and proposes ward-wise schedules tied to real-time AQI.
- Official data show overall air quality in the moderate range at 121, with higher readings at Bandra Kurla Complex (166) and Deonar (157) and cleaner air in Borivali East (61) and Mulund West (71).
- BMC sources cite a surge in redevelopment and infrastructure works as contributing to the recent pollution spike, noting incentives were expanded during the Maha Vikas Aghadi period.
- Thackeray alleges plans to fell about 45,000 mangroves and criticises compensatory planting in Chandrapur, urging redesigns such as underground alignments or longer spans to protect coastal ecology.
- He opposes underground parking proposed at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse and access-controlled changes to Colaba’s Back Garden, calling for an audit of altered playgrounds, and no BMC moratorium decision has been reported.