State orders all cities, districts to chalk out climate action plan

The state has decided to prepare climate action plans for all cities and districts. As per an order issued on Thursday, the day Pune and its surrounding areas were hit by floods, climate action cells would be set up in every city and district to prepare such a plan and ensure its implementation

MUMBAI: Amid the rising flood-like situations in both the urban and rural areas due to torrential rains, the state government has decided to prepare climate action plans for all cities and districts of the state. As per an order issued on Thursday, the day Pune and its surrounding areas were hit by floods, climate action cells would be set up in every city and district to prepare such a plan and ensure its implementation.

HT Image

Maharashtra has 43 cities with population over 1 lakh, which are covered under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). To reduce carbon emission, cities like Mumbai, Solapur, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar had prepared climate action plans. To prepare such action plans for all cities in the state, the government issued an order on Thursday to this effect.

“City Climate Action Cell, District Climate Action Cell and Divisional Climate Action Cell will be set up in the state to prepare climate action plans in respective areas of jurisdiction,” states the order issued by the environmental and climate change department. As per the order, municipal commissioner or chief executive officer of municipality or city council will be chairman of the City Climate Action Cell, with town planner and environmental experts as members. Whereas, in the District Climate Action Cell, the district collector would be the chairman.

“These climate action cells will prepare the action plans for the areas under their jurisdiction, ensure the implementation of the plans, and implement the decarbonisation roadmap. District cells will prepare their plan excluding the city areas in their areas as the city cells will prepare for the cities,” states the order.