The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has extended the extended the timings of public parks and grounds in the city. This decision comes as the many young and senior citizens have been visiting parks and grounds after the pandemic.
Due to this, the BMC has decided to keep the parks and grounds open for 15 hours on weekdays and 17 hours during weekends.
The new timings of the public parks and grounds will be from 5 am – 1 pm and from 3 pm-10 pm during the weekdays. During Weekends, it will remain open from 5 am-10 pm.
Currently, the timings are 6 am-2 pm and 3 pm-9 pm. The city has a total of 229 parks, 432 recreation grounds, 318 playgrounds, 26 parks.
A civic official said that the bad air-quality is adding to health problems in the city and if these parks and grounds are kept open for a longer duration, ore people will be able to visit for natural air, as cited by the Free Press Journal.
Moreover, flagging the rising air pollution in city and bad air quality, the city civic body earlier this week had set up a panel to suggest dust control measures.
The committee comprising seven members under the chairmanship of Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) Sanjeev Kumar, will suggest dust control measures, which will be strictly implemented in BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) areas from April 1, an official statement said on Sunday.
The dust control measures will be strictly implemented in the BMC area from April 1, 2023, and strict action will be taken against violators, said the statement issued by the BMC.
“The air quality in Mumbai region including the city is currently bad due to changes in the wind speed conditions combined with dust arising from various development and construction works, which are going on a large scale.
The air pollution situation has arisen like never before in the Mumbai metropolitan city. In the post-COVID-19 period, the dust generated by large-scale construction as well as various development works, and changes in the wind speed are the two main factors, the statement said.
Although the natural conditions are out of human control, at present, there are more than 5,000 sites in Mumbai where various works are going on, and it is in the hands of the administration to minimise the dust generated from these locations, it said.
Meanwhile, speaking of the H3N2 cases, a total of 32 patients have been admitted to hospitals in Mumbai, of which four were diagnosed with the H3N2 influenza virus, while others with H1N1. The civic body added that the condition of all the patient is currently is stable. The state health minsters Tanaji Sawant had informed that 352 patients in the state have been diagnosed with the H3N2 virus so far. “A total of 352 patients are afflicted with the H3N2 virus so far. They are currently under treatment and all hospitals have been put on alert. H3N2 is not fatal. It can be cured through proper medical treatment. There is no need to panic,” the minister said as quoted by ANI.
(With inputs from agencies)
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