Mumbai rains: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde visits BMC's disaster management dept to review situation

Pic/Twitter@mybmc

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday visited the Disaster Management Department at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters and reviewed the situation after heavy rains lashed the city and its adjoining areas.

"In view of the continuous rains in Mumbai and the orange alert issued by the IMD, Chief Minister Shri Eknath Shinde visited the Disaster Management Department at BMC Headquarters and reviewed the situation. The Chief Minister appreciated the pre-monsoon works and various measures taken by the municipal administration," the BMC tweeted.

Heavy rains lashed Mumbai and adjoining Thane and Palghar districts on Wednesday, disrupting suburban rail traffic and causing water-logging in low-lying areas from where people were evacuated.

Heavy rains lashed parts of Mumbai amid an orange alert on Wednesday, leading to disruption of local train services beyond Kalyan in the adjoining Thane district, diversion of some express trains and cancellation of a few services between Mumbai and Pune.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde claimed though Mumbai has 110 low-lying areas there was no waterlogging in the city and traffic remained smooth.

Shinde declared a holiday for all schools in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, and Palghar districts for Thursday amid a heavy rainfall warning in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

The chief minister visited the disaster management cell in Mantralaya to review the flood situation in the state and directed officials to be on alert mode.

He was apprised of floods due to heavy rains in some areas in Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhdurg, Pune, Satara and Gadchiroli districts.

Shinde also visited the disaster control room of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation along with some ministers in the evening and took stock of the situation.

"Schools in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and Palghar have been given a holiday tomorrow as a precautionary measure," the chief minister told reporters.

Shinde said he spoke with all divisional commissioners and collectors and instructed them to send help to Raigad, battered by heavy rains since Tuesday night, from Panvel and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporations.

The CM credited the installation of 450 pumps by BMC in 450 areas and the drain cleaning work for the non-accumulation of water on a rainy day in Mumbai.

Amid an orange alert, predicting heavy to very heavy showers at some places, Mumbai received moderate to heavy rainfall till Wednesday evening.

(With inputs from PTI)