Our city is struggling to breathe, and so are we. The air we inhale every day is affecting our health, our children, and our future. What Mumbai needs right now is not a giant Ferris wheel, but clean air—the most basic right of every citizen.

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A Heartfelt Plea for Clean Air: An Open Letter to the BMC and Our Leaders for Immediate Action

To

The People of India,
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC),
Respected Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis,
Honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi,

I am not an activist. I am not here to fight or tear anyone down. I am writing to you as a citizen of our country, a fellow Indian, with a basic yet fundamental right—the right to clean air.

Every day, I see people around me in Mumbai getting sicker. I feel it in my own body too. The air we breathe is no longer just air—it is harming our lungs, our hearts, and our future. We cannot ignore this any longer.

Today, I have a humble yet urgent plea to our Respected Chief Minister, our Honorable Prime Minister, and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Please reconsider the allocation of funds for something the city does not need right now. 

Mumbai does not need a giant Ferris wheel. What we need—what we desperately need—is clean air.

I appeal to every citizen of India, to parents, educators, and school principals. You know absenteeism in schools is rising. You see children struggling with breathing issues, missing out on their education and their childhood. I appeal to doctors, who witness the growing number of patients with respiratory illnesses. Pediatricians, you know how many young children are suffering from asthma and lung infections caused by polluted air.

To personal trainers, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts—I ask you to pause and reflect. We encourage people to exercise, to run, to train for a healthier life. But what happens when they do this in toxic air? Are we truly helping them, or are we unknowingly harming them?

This is also a heartfelt appeal to nutritionists, doctors, wellness experts, and health influencers. You know that food and medicine alone cannot fix this. No superfood, no supplement, no treatment can undo the damage that breathing polluted air does to our bodies every single day.

And to celebrities, athletes, and people with influence—your voice matters. You have the power to bring attention to this crisis. Let us use our platforms not just for endorsements but for a cause that impacts every single Indian. Let us urge our leaders to focus on what we truly need as human beings.

We cannot afford to be mere bystanders anymore. This is not resilience. This is a slow surrender.

We have children and aging parents struggling to breathe. We have newborns taking their first breaths of air that should never enter fragile lungs. The future of our health does not depend on just more medicine, more nutrition, or more meditation. It depends on the basics—the right to clean air, clean water, and clean food.

I do not claim to have all the answers. But I do know this—the money allocated for a Ferris wheel could be used to clean the air in our city.

This is not about fighting. This is about uniting. Hatred and anger will not solve this crisis, but our collective voice, our unwavering plea for change, will.

To every parent watching their child suffer, to every citizen who wakes up to a smog-filled skyline—speak up. Our voice matters.

During the COVID-19 pandemic when the nation rallied for health and wellness, Hon. Prime Minister, your amazing Fit India Movement nominated me as the Wellness and Lifestyle Champion. Today, I carry that responsibility forward. My humble plea is that we need clean air, not just for fitness, but for a healthier, stronger, and cleaner India.

Let us not wait for another crisis to act. We are with you. Let's act together now.

With humility, respect, urgency, and hope,
Luke Coutinho