Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday urged people to exercise caution as heavy rainfall continued to wreak havoc across Mumbai, saying the entire state administration was on high alert.
The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly was adjourned for the day after weather forecasts predicted heavy rain and strong winds in Mumbai and adjoining regions. Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar appealed to legislators and the public to cooperate with the administration in tackling the situation.
Announcing the adjournment, Narwekar said the prevailing weather conditions required collective cooperation and urged all members to remain vigilant and assist the government in handling the rain-related emergency.
Earlier, Chief Minister Fadnavis told the House that recent incidents, including wall collapses and landslides, were the result of extreme weather conditions rather than a lack of preparedness.
"The entire disaster management machinery, municipal corporations and other agencies are on the ground. We are in alert mode," he said.
Fadnavis said traffic on the Mumbai-Pune road was immediately halted and diverted after a landslide. Authorities also advised commuters to avoid the affected stretch. He added that arrangements had been made to help stranded motorists return safely, while rescue teams worked to remove vehicles trapped due to waterlogging and debris.
Govt to prepare report on rain-related incidents, response measures
The chief minister said the government would present a detailed statement in the Assembly on Tuesday covering the rain-related incidents, response measures, preparedness and preventive steps, rather than providing an incomplete assessment while the situation was still evolving.
Appealing to residents to remain cautious, Fadnavis said strong winds of 70-90 kmph were expected later in the day and could uproot trees and damage temporary structures. He urged people to avoid non-essential travel and advised youngsters against visiting waterfalls and other tourist destinations during the spell of heavy rain.
Pointing to the severity of the weather, the chief minister said that while around 800 trees fall on average during the monsoon season, as many as 350 trees had fallen on Sunday alone.
"The entire administration is in alert mode. We are reviewing the situation across Maharashtra. If there are any shortcomings, the government will address them immediately. The machinery will not fall short anywhere," he said.
Fadnavis described the extreme rainfall as a "force majeure" situation beyond human control but said such emergencies could be managed more effectively with public cooperation.
Congress alleges government lapses, seeks action against officials
Earlier in the day, Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar raised the issue soon after the Assembly convened. He demanded a high-level probe into rain-related deaths and accidents across Maharashtra, particularly in Mumbai, and sought action against officials found responsible for alleged negligence.
Wadettiwar claimed that at least 12 people had died in Mumbai over the past two days in separate incidents, including falls into open manholes, tree collapses and a building collapse in Mankhurd. He questioned the administration's preparedness to deal with the monsoon.
He said timely pre-monsoon surveys of dangerous buildings, tree pruning, securing of manholes, improvements to the drainage system and effective disaster management could have prevented several fatalities.
The Congress leader also referred to the landslide near the Missing Link project on the Mumbai-Pune route, which disrupted traffic on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and affected the old highway as well as rail services through the ghat section.
Thousands of commuters were stranded, he said, adding that concerns had already been raised over the execution of the project after potholes were reported earlier.
Wadettiwar urged the state government to issue an official statement on the situation, inform the public about the measures being taken and outline its future action plan.
He also demanded a high-level inquiry into all rain-related incidents to fix accountability and ensure strict action against those found responsible.
