Mumbai: A parent’s worst nightmare!

The nullah in which the infant fell, between Thakurli and Kalyan stations; (right) The woman wails as her father tries to comfort her

Year after year, the monsoon reveals the ugly truth of MMR's crumbling infrastructure and suffering of its citizens. On Wednesday, two families lost children in accidents that could have been avoided. With waterlogging halting their train in Thane for over two hours, a Bhiwandi resident alighted with his daughter and her six-month-old. But, his leg got trapped in the tracks and the infant fell out of his hands into the drain. In Bhandup, a 5-year-old girl died when the ceiling at her ‘declared safe' home fell on her.

Yogita Rumale, 25, a resident of Bhiwandi, her father and her six-month-old daughter were travelling to Mumbai on Wednesday afternoon when their train halted between Thakurli and Kalyan stations.

Yogita Rumale with her father after losing her child

Many passengers started getting off the train to walk to the nearest railway station as the train did not move for over two hours. Yogita and her father, who was holding baby girl Rishita Rumale, also alighted around 3 pm.

While passing by the drain, his foot got stuck in the tracks and his granddaughter slipped from his hands and fell into the drain, according to sources. The strong currents swept Rishita away, while her mother wailed helplessly and cried for help.

The drain flows into the Kalyan creek

The incident took place between Kalyan and Thakurli railway stations, and the drain flows into the Kalyan creek.

Search op

"With the help of Dombivli Government Railway Police (GRP) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), we launched a rescue operation after receiving the information," said Senior PI Mukesh Dhage, Kalyan GRP.

The ceiling after a chunk fell on the girl, at her flat in Bhandup, on Wednesday morning

"However, we could not find the girl. We had to stop the search as it was pitch dark and the current of the drain water was strong. We will resume our search at 10 am [on Thursday]," Dhage added.

Inspector Yogesh Sharma from the NDRF told mid-day, "Our motto is to save the girl. Tomorrow (Thursday), we will review the situation again and start the rescue operation as soon as possible."

CM Shinde expressed concern over the unfortunate incident and urged parents to take necessary precautions to avoid such incidents.

Central Railway halted train services between Ambernath and Badlapur, too, at 11.05 am as a precautionary measure, officials said. At 6.10 pm, CR trains were restored on all sections.

Thane, Raigad inundated

Constant rain and rising water levels in rivers inundated Thane and Raigad districts on Wednesday, said officials. Ulhas, Thane, Amba, Savitri and Patalganga rivers were among many that were overflowing.

As many as 200 families from Sonivali and Hendre Pada in Badlapur town of Thane have been shifted to safer places.

Girl dies in Bhandup

Tasin Shaikh, 5, was sleeping when a chunk of the ceiling in her home came crashing down on her. "His family rushed her to a private hospital, but she died during treatment," a BMC official said. The incident happened in room No. 203 of the five-storied Zakariya society, in Bhandup West, at 3 am on Wednesday.

Civic officials from S ward said they had issued notice to the building for repair in April 2023. The society carried out the repair works and submitted to us a structure audit report, which stated that the building was structurally stable, the BMC official said.

Asked if the repair work was up to the mark, a local civic official said, "After the BMC declared the building as illegal, the repairs were conducted by the society itself and they submitted a report to the civic body that the building was safe. We will examine the contents of the report and verify facts before coming to
a conclusion."

10am
Time the search for the girl will resume

CM declares holiday for schools in Mumbai and adjoining areas

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the BMC Disaster Management Control Room on Wednesday evening and subsequently declared a holiday for schools up to Std XII for Thursday in anticipation of heavy rain. This precautionary measure also extends to schools in Thane, Palghar, and Raigad.

CM Eknath Shinde at BMC's Disaster Management Control Room in Mumbai on Thursday. Pics/Atul Kamble

During his visit, the CM, accompanied by Ministers Girish Mahajan, Shambhuraje Desai, Dada Bhuse, and Deepak Kesarkar, reviewed the situation in Mumbai. Additional Commissioner P Velarasu attended the meeting with the CM and ministers, while Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal was on a field visit to Chembur.

Following the visit, CM Shinde informed the media, "As a precautionary measure, schools in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, and Palghar have been given a holiday tomorrow. I have instructed divisional commissioners and collectors to provide assistance to Raigad from Panvel, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. Necessary actions are being taken for the affected areas."

He mentioned that despite 110 low-lying areas in Mumbai, there were no reports of waterlogging or major traffic disruptions on Thursday. The municipal authorities have installed pumps at 450 locations in low-lying areas, and the results of drain cleaning efforts are visible. The officials are closely monitoring the situation daily.

The Ambernath-Badlapur disaster management system is on high alert, and arrangements are being made to provide food and water to people. Excess trains have been arranged, and instructions were given to ST bus and BEST services to prevent crowding at railway stations.