Nothing unusual in civic chief’s preface note: BMC

The preface to the environment status report of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for 2009-10 was the standard format published every year, a senior civic official claimed.

DNA had reported on Tuesday about how municipal commissioner Swadhin Kshatriya had blamed the “influx of outsiders” for the environmental woes of the city.

“It’s a standard preface note in the report. What we were trying to say was that the floating population coming into the city from the Mumbai Metropolitan region, especially Vasai, Vashi, Thane, were impacting the environment,” he said.

However, the opposition parties say the preface note lacks clarity. “I’ve read the note. The municipal commissioner should not have made such a comment,” said NCP leader Niyaz Vanu.

“On reading the first few lines, it feels as if the civic chief is referring to the migrants,” said Congress leader Rajhans Singh. “He should have explained which outsiders he was referring to.”