State to include health hazards as terms of reference for mega projects

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government will incorporate health hazards as terms of reference for mega projects such as the metro, state minister for urban development Yogesh Sagar informed the upper house. The BMC had taken pre-monsoon action and issued 150 notices, and Rs 14,000 had been recovered as penalty from various sites across the city.

Mr Sagar was replying to a calling attention motion about breeding of mosquito (larvae) in saturated and contaminated water around metro project sites near Nariman Point Wednesday. The Congress group leader of Council, Sharad Ranpise, along with MLC Bhai Jagtap and others, moved the calling attention in the Legislative Council Wednesday.

Mr Sagar said that the municipal corporation, metro administration, and contractors were regularly inspecting and taking measures to prevent breeding of mosquitoes around city metro projects. He added that if mosquito breeding was found near any government or private project, action would be taken against the concerned authorities.

The government clarified that the terms of reference for mega projects like the metro should not be limited to accident policy alone and should be extended to public health, too.While participating in the discussion, NCP MLC Hemant Takle said that the consultants and experts from health sectors should give terms of reference for mega projects.