Green carpet laid for Maha CM Eknath Shinde for Sewage Inspection

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's inspection of the ongoing desilting work by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) ahead of the monsoon season has drawn criticism and amusement from netizens. The inspection aimed to assess the city's preparedness for the upcoming rains, but the sight of a green carpet laid out for the Chief Minister grabbed more attention on social media.

During his Sunday inspection, CM Shinde visited key locations including JK Chemical Nullah in Wadala, ATI Nullah in Chunabhatti, Mithi River in Bandra, Majas Nullah in Jogeshwari, and Dahisar River. A video by news agency ANI showed CM Shinde arriving at the JK Chemical Nullah in the F-North division of the BMC, walking on a green carpet.

Only in India... green carpet to see a sewage drain! 🤣 https://t.co/rpEuKZQibx

— Shivam Vahia (@ShivamVahia) May 26, 2024

The green carpet, usually seen at red-carpet events, left netizens amused and critical of the apparent extravagance for a routine inspection. Social media users expressed their bewilderment and criticized the move on platforms like X (formerly Twitter).

"Only in India... green carpet for a sewage drain!" one user, while another remarked, "He walks down a carpet to stare at a drain!!"

Columnist Sayantan Ghosh questioned, "Where is the clip in which workers are laying a green carpet for the sahibs before their photo-op?"

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Ghadigaonkar criticized the move, saying, "Green carpet under the Chief Minister's feet during drain cleaning..? Is this really the government of the common people? Stop gimmicks!"

CM Shinde defended the preparations during a press conference, stating, "To ensure proper desilting, I inspected five major nullahs today, despite criticism. All officials, including Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, were present."

He said, "54,225 vehicles are removing garbage from the nullahs. 482 pumps are deployed in areas like Hindmata, Milan Subway to prevent flooding during rains and avoid commuter problems."

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