The environment be damned!

Recently the Environment Minister in Maharashtra spoke of selling all the open spaces in Mumbai in the control of the State Government to raise funds to help get over the near 1,000 crores deficit. God knows, where these politicians get their brainwaves from? Sell the open spaces, and do what? Live in a concrete jungle? I'd rather the State get its money from the citizens than from such avenues.
A city's lungs are its open spaces. These absorb light, heat, and keep the area generally cooler than the other area. Open spaces aren't just important for meteorological purposes, they are the indicators of the culture of the people. Shivaji Park is the symbol of Maharashtrian pride, a popular venue of the annual Ramleela, and the bastion of Hindu nationalism. It has also contributed to the Indian cricket spectra by way of the luminaries who broke their first bats on this ground. And this hallowed space is sought to sold for a few pieces of silver?
The environment minister is renowned for supporting causes that definitely harm the environment. And this proposal is definitely aimed at the builder cabal. Maybe, the minister's vision of Mumbai entails having each and every square inch of free land occupied by structures, its people dull and listless. Whether we will allow him to dream on is for the people of Mumbai to decide.