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Shiv Sena UBT leader Aditya Thackeray on Friday slammed the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, accusing them of "not dealing" with the issue of climate change seriously and further "destroying jungles and environment", which was crucial for the arrival of monsoon season. He said that they were not against development, but "destruction."
"The government is not taking climate change seriously. We are not opposed to development, but we are committed to protecting the climate. We are against the Vinash (destruction), not against Vikas (development)," Thackeray, former Environment Minister of Maharashtra, said while addressing a press conference. He criticised the decisions taken by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to clear projects, which would result in the felling of thousands of trees. Accusing the state government of "playing with the future", Thackeray said that the approval of the Gargai dam project in Palghar would result in the felling of nearly five lakh trees. "Yesterday, during a meeting of the State Wildlife Board, the Chief Minister decided on many things, which would result in the felling of trees in lakhs. Nearly 5 lakh trees would be cut to build a dam that will provide Mumbai with 450 MLD of water. They are destroying jungles and the environment, which are responsible for the rains. This is a money game. They are playing with our future," he said. "We are seeing what climate change means. We can see it unfolding before us," he added. Furthermore, Thackeray raised concerns about the rising temperatures in April, reaching 40 degrees Celsius, stating that this hasn't been witnessed before. "Maharashtra has recorded temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius, and this is in April. The government didn't cross the 400 mark, but the temperatures have increased by over 40 degrees Celsius. We have never witnessed this before," the former Maharashtra Minister said. "In Mumbai, the water problem is a huge issue. The BJP has not solved this issue. CM has not solved this issue. We held a protest on this (issue), but police detained our party workers," Thackeray added. (ANI)
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