Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced that the state government has activated all disaster management systems in Palghar district and its adjoining areas, called in the Navy, Coast Guard, and the National Disaster Rescue Force, for rescue operations after steady rainfall crippled Mumbai and other cities over the weekend. Palghar is situated in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and boasts a large tribal population.
Fadnavis told the State Assembly that he was also reviewing the rainfall situation in Mumbai. The city has been struggling with non-stop rain that has stalled trains and slowed traffic and life itself to a crawl in places that have been flooded. With tracks waterlogged after heavy overnight rain, some rains have been cancelled while others are running late by 10 to 15 minutes. Schools in neighbouring districts of Thane and Palghar are close, and even the iconic 'Dabbawallas' or lunch box carriers of Mumbai have cancelled services.
The region received five times the average rainfall for the season. The Met Department has unfortunately predicted heavy to very heavy rain till Thursday. Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Force, police and fire brigade personnel have rescued all 2000 passengers who from stranded in the Mumbai-bound Shatabdi Express and Vadodara Express. The Bombay High Court, while hearing a PIL seeking direction to the Railways to make stations and platforms disabled-friendly, said, “Every year during monsoon tracks get submerged in water in low-lying areas. Why can not the Railways identify such spots and elevate the tracks? If the Railways were not able to manage this, it should consider privatisation.”
