Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde at the landslide-hit region in Raigad district of Maharashtra. (Twitter/ mieknathshinde)Mumbai Rains Highlights: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) stopped its search and rescue operation in connection with the landslide in Irshalwadi in Maharashtra’s Raigad district on Thursday evening even as the death toll mounted to 16. “Due to continuous heavy rain and the threat of landslides as well as the dark, the NDRF has called off its operation for the day,” an official said.
Search and rescue personnel at the site of a massive landslide in Maharashtra’s Raigad district were facing hurdles due to the difficult hill terrain of the area, Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and officials at the site said on Thursday. Irshalwadi is a tribal village inaccessible by pucca road and Chowk village on Mumbai-Pune Highway is the nearest town. A small approach road leading to hutments in the area has been slippery due to the rains, an official said, adding that heavy machinery like earth-movers and excavators cannot be taken there. Two helicopters have been kept ready for the rescue operation, but they cannot take-off until the weather is clear, the official said.
Incessant rains lashed Mumbai yesterday, with the city recording close to 100 mm of rain in the past 24 hours. The IMD categorises rainfall between 64.5 mm and 115.5 mm as heavy rains, and the downpour that the city has experienced over the past 24 hours qualifies for this category. The IMD has issued an orange alert in the region for Thursday. A red alert has been issued for Thane till Thursday. Palghar and Raigad districts are on a red alert for Thursday and Friday.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Uddhav Thackeray met Deputy CM Ajit Pawar for the first time since the NCP split.
Source: PTI
Source: Reuters
Three persons died on Thursday in separate rain-related incidents in Maharashtra's Palghar district, which witnessed heavy rainfall for the third consecutive day, an official said.
As a result of heavy showers lashing parts of Palghar since Tuesday, several low-lying areas of the district have been inundated, chief of the District Disaster Management Cell, Vivekanand Kadam, told PTI.
"Three persons were travelling in a car between Vangaon and Chinchani Road in the wee hours of Thursday, when their vehicle veered off the road in Kaloli village before it fell into water by the roadside and drifted away. Nearby residents came to their rescue and saved two of them," he said.
But the third person got swept away, he said. (PTI)
Almost all the residents of the Irshalwadi village, which is situated at the plateau that serves as the base of the imposing feature housing a pinnacle, remanants of a fort and also a pin-hole, are Thakars, a local tribe.
The Thakars cultivate paddy in the fields near their homes and live off the forest.
Lately, another vocation has been added, that of serving visitors to the fort. It takes an hour's climb from the last road ahead near Chowk through a narrow path along a ridge's edge to reach Irshalwadi village, located some 800 feet above.
Dhananjay Madan of Nisargamitra in Panvel said the casualties have been lower as several youth engaged in jobs in the Panvel-Khopoli belt were away, and so were students of Class 4 and above who study in residential schools.
Some kids were away from the houses in the area around the primary school, playing games on their mobile, when tragedy struck, Madan said.
This helped reduce casualties and it was also a boy's quick thinking in running down to Chowk and informing authorities about the incident, which let the outside world know about what had happened, Madan said.
'Some people were yet to fall asleep in their houses and ran for their life when they heard the thud. They did not return to the village till day break,' Madan said. (PTI)
For more than seven decades since hobbyists started climbing, the residents of Irshalwadi in Maharashtra's Raigad district have welcomed such guests.
Villagers in the hamlet perched atop a plateau took care of their food, stay, navigation and the odd emergency.
In a cruel reversal of roles, mountaineers spread across nearby towns and cities had to respond to a distress call coming from the area late on Wednesday night following a massive landslide and became the first ones to reach the difficult-to-access settlement to helm a rescue and relief effort.
A little before midnight, Padmakar Gaikwad of nearby Khopoli-based Yashwanti Hikers got a call from the tahsildar (revenue department) seeking help.
The team at his club - used to responding to such SOS calls - swung into action, and Gaikwad also put out a message on a rescuers' network before leaving for the base village of Chowk.
Dhananjay Madan of Nisargamitra in Panvel was about to retire for the night when he saw the distressing message from Gaikwad, and within minutes set-off with five others from his group towards Chowk.
Some time past 2:30am, Madan's team, armed with torches, blankets, some food items, first aid and other equipment, reached Irshalwadi.
"It was dark and there was fog, but we could sense the damage caused by the landslide even then," Madan, who has been visiting Irshalwadi for over four decades, told PTI.
Gaikwad, who's team was the first to reach at 2am, said locals were crying for help and added that they succeeded in saving ten people despite the darkness. (PTI)
“Sagale lok badalalet bagha ithle (People here are not what they used to be.) They have changed and avoid talking to each other. Not many are seen working in farms and fields owned by villagers are completely neglected,” says Dulaji Zanjare, who is in his early 60s and has been witness to the huge landmass sliding down the hill on July 30, 2014, killing 151 people.
A visit to Malin and interaction with its residents and also those from adjacent villages bring to the fore a grim reality: The bonding and communication villagers had before the calamity struck, is no longer there. Farming has been being completely neglected.
Though Dulaji’s own family survived, he lost his brother’s family in the calamity. His own house has been sealed because it has been declared unfit for habitation. But he visits his house for an hour every day. He says he comes to the house to clean up the premises but later, confesses that it gives a gloomy feeling to stay in the makeshift houses made of tin sheets. Read more
One person died and four were injured after a portion of a ground-plus-three building collapsed in Bhayander East in Maharashtra's Thane district on Thursday, a civic official said.
The building, located opposite Bhayander railway station, was 20 years old and had been declared dangerous, Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation's disaster cell chief Manashri Mhatre told PTI.
The incident took place at 11:30am amid heavy rains in the region for the past couple of days.
Three fire engines and 54 personnel from the district disaster cell were deployed at the site for relief operations, Mhatre said.
"They rescued four people and rushed them hospital. While the clearing of debris was underway, the teams found the body of a man identified as Durga Avdesh Ram (45). He had a boot polish business at Bhayander station," the official said. (PTI)
Eye witnesses and survivors in Irshaldwadi in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Thursday recounted the terror and shock of realising that a massive landslide had buried many of them amid heavy rains that was pounding the region for the past few days.
They managed to come out from the mound of mud and rubble of household items, but the thought of piecing together their lives from here on weighed heavily as they recounted their brush with fate.
An old man, who had come at the foot of the hill at night, said his family, including a three-year-old toddler, was buried in the debris but they managed to extricate themselves.
'We were sleeping when the landslide occurred. We managed to come out from the mud mound and ran to the base of the hillock,' he said.
An anganwadi worker, who used to visit houses in the area, told reporters there were 45 houses at the site and 43 of them were affected by the landslide.
There were 229 people, including 25 children up to six years of age, staying in those houses, the woman claimed.
An elderly woman, who came from a nearby village, in a choked voice said five members of her family were trapped under the debris of the landslide. (PTI)
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's statement in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Raigad’s Irshalgad incident updates till 3pm :
As more manpower was required, 1000 workers along with machinery were sent to Irshalgad (Raigad), through CIDCO. They have reached and are working under the supervision of NDRF. 3 Bobcat machines are arranged by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB); 1 machine has reached there and the remaining 2 will reach shortly. But the bad weather is not allowing to mobilise these machines through helicopters. By 3 pm, 10 dead bodies were recovered and 4 people are injured.
CM Eknath ji Shinde himself walked for 1.30 hours and reached the site.
About 11,500 citizens from 4 districts of Konkan region - Thane, Palghar, Raigad & Ratnagiri are evacuated and mobilised in last 2 days.
Chandrapur district received around 235 mm of rainfall in 2 days. Bhadravati taluka, Kacharli villages were disconnected but now it has been restored.
Eye witnesses and survivors in Irshaldwadi in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Thursday recounted the terror and shock of realising that a massive landslide had buried many of them amid heavy rains that was pounding the region for the past few days.
They managed to come out from the mound of mud and rubble of household items, but the thought of piecing together their lives from here on weighed heavily as they recounted their brush with fate.
A couple and their toddler were among those who managed to extricate themselves from the debris.
"I was sleeping when I realised we were covered by rubble and mud. I managed to pull out myself, my wife and child and then we all just ran out to save our lives," a man said.
"It was dark and I could hear screams of people but was not able to comprehend anything since I was unable to see what was going on. We are safe but our house is damaged," he said, his face exhibiting the pain and shock that the incident, which has taken 12 lives so far, has inflicted.
A woman, who too survived the incident, said her mind was unable to comprehend in the first few moments but soon realised a part of the hillock along her house had caved in.
"My house has been buried in the landslide. We do not have clothes or anything to eat. I don't know how we will be able to put this horrific incident behind us. My children and I have no idea how and where we are going to live amid such heavy rain," she said teary eyed. (PTI)
Parshuram Nirgunde received a call around 11pm about the landslide and rushed with 7-10 others to rescue his relatives. He managed to find his brother-in-law Pravin Pardhi and his wife's other relative Yashwant Dore. Both Pardhi and Dore are admitted at MGM Panvel. Doctors said they have injuries but are stable.
On rehabilitation of the landslide-affected villagers, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde has tweeted that 50 to 60 containers have been arranged for them (as temporary shelters) and there was a plan to move them to a safer place. Atleast 13 people were killed in a landslide today at Irshalwadi in Raigad district, Maharashtra.
'We will soon take steps to carry out proper rehabilitation of the landslide-affected villagers. I have spoken to the divisional commissioner and district collector and discussed about permanent rehabilitation of these villagers immediately. We are doing it on a war-footing,' Shinde tweeted.
Earlier in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in a statement said 48 families were living there.
“The medical expenditure of the injured persons will be borne by the state government. We will announce a proper compensation for the the kin of the deceased persons,” he said.
Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council Ambadas Danve on Thursday demanded a survey of villages across mountain ranges in the state after at least 10 people were killed in a landslide in Raigad district.
This survey should be done on a mission mode, he tweeted.
At least 10 people have died in the landslide at Irshalwadi village on Wednesday night due to very heavy rains.
Danve said he reached the tribal village, located on a hill, after a climb and interacted with personnel from the National Disaster Response Force at the site.
There is a need to learn from the Irshalwadi tragedy, he said on social media.
“There is an utmost need to carry out an audit of villages sitting on foothills in mountain ranges like Sahyadri and Satpuda and their geographical location. The villages that need relocation should be moved on priority,” he tweeted.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said governments will come and go but this work should not stop. “It should be done on a ‘mission' mode so that no one loses their life like this (in Irshalwadi),” he tweeted. (PTI)
Vidhan Parishad presiding officer Niranjan Davkhare gave his ruling on the disqualification of deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe. He says that as per rules, she can continue to preside over the upper house as deputy chairperson.
He said that she has not changed the political party as she was in Shiv Sena and continues to be there now.
The first day of Vidhan Parishad was adjourned after the opposition said that Gorhe could not continue in the position of deputy chairperson as she had switched sides from Shiv Sena UBT to the one led by CM Eknath Shinde.
Shivram Dhumne a fire officer from the Navi Mumbai civic body who was on his way to Irshalgad to take part in the rescue attempts died of a heart attack will trekking to the accident site.
Dhumne was deputed as an assistant station officer at Belapur fire station in Navi Mumbai. He was amongst the first batch of rescuers who were sent to the site. While climbing the steep path, he collapsed after suffering a heart attack and died, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s (NMMC) chief fire officer Shirish Aradwad said.
More than 2,200 people have been evacuated as heavy rains created a flood-like situation in parts of Maharashtra's Raigad with the downpour damaging at least 125 houses in the district, where a massive landslide claimed several lives at a village, officials said on Thursday.
As a result of incessant rainfall, 17 out of 28 dams in Raigad are overflowing, the district administration said in a statement.
Several places in the district recorded more than 200 mm rainfall in 24 hours, it said.
Due to heavy rainfall and flood-like situation at some places in the district, a total of 2,22 7 people from 746 families were moved to safety. Of them, 704 people are from Poladpur taluka, 450 people from Chirner village in Uran taluka and 430 people from Mahad taluka, the district administration said.
The average rainfall of the district in four months - from June to September - is 3,148 mm. This year, its average rainfall recorded so far is 1,524.5 mm, the district administration said. (PTI)
Search and rescue personnel at the site of a massive landslide in Maharashtra's Raigad district were facing hurdles due to the difficult hill terrain of the area where heavy equipment cannot be moved, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and officials at the site said on Thursday.
The landslide, which claimed atleast 10 lives, occurred late Wednesday night on a hilltop in Irshalwadi village after torrential rains in the area.
A small approach road leading to hutments in the area has been slippery due to the rains, the official said, adding heavy machinery like earth-movers and excavators cannot be taken there. Two helicopters have been kept ready for the rescue operation, but they cannot take-off until the weather is clear, the official said.
Irshalwadi is a tribal village inaccessible by pucca road. Chowk village on Mumbai-Pune Highway is the nearest town.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde reached the site and spoke to personnel engaged in rescue operations. “This village was not in the list of landslide-prone villages,” he told reporters there. (PTI)
An anganwadi worker, who used to visit houses in the area, told reporters there were 45 houses at the site and 43 of them were affected by the landslide.
At least 10 people were killed in a landslide today in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, as heavy rains continued in the region. Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde announced Rs. 5 lakh relief to the kin of the deceased. NDRF-led search and rescue operations are in progress, said Devendra Fadnavis.
There were 229 people, including 25 children up to six years of age, staying in those houses, the woman claimed, adding she was shattered by the incident.
An elderly woman, who came from a nearby village, in a choked voice said five members of her family were trapped under the debris of the landslide. As the search and rescue operation was underway at the site, relatives of the landslide-affected people rushed the spot to know the whereabouts of their near and dear ones. (PTI)
There is nothing left except soil and debris, said a distraught man whose parents were trapped under the rubble of a massive landslide at Irshalwadi village in Maharashtra's Raigad district.
The landslide, which has claimed 10 lives, occurred late Wednesday night on a hilltop in Irshalwadi where the man and his four friends used to stay at night at a school located down the hill.
Narrating the horror, the man said at around 10.30 pm on Wednesday, he was sitting in the school room and chatting with his friends when he heard loud sound.
"I ran out of the school to save myself and later found there was a landslide which damaged our houses," he said.
"My parents are trapped under the debris. Now, nothing is left except the soil and debris at the place of my house," he said while fighting back tears. Nobody was able to come out, he said.
The man also said he has a brother, who studies in a nearby ashram (residential) school, and he is yet to hear from him. (PTI)
The IMD in its latest five day bulletin have issued orange alert in Mumbai for today and tomorrow (July 21) indicating continuation of very heavy rains. Meanwhile, for Thane, Palghar and Raigad red alert has been issued during this period as extremely heavy rains may continue to lash these places.
Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve reached the landslide-hit region in Maharashtra's Raigad district today along with some Shiv Sena party workers. Until now, atleast ten people are dead and 127 others are feared trapped under the debris after a landslide hit Irsalwadi, a tribal hamlet in Maharashtra’s Raigad district late on Wednesday night. The region has been lashed by incessant rains over the last 24 hours.
Amid flood-like situations and heavy rains in several parts of Maharashtra, 32 villages and 15 hamlets in three districts of the state's Marathwada region are still dependent on tankers for their water needs, as per an official report.
The majority of these villages are in the Aurangabad district, says the report by the divisional commissioner's office.
While monsoon arrived in the state over a month ago, it has picked momentum in several places in the past few days, sending many rivers in spate and causing flood-like situations in low-lying areas.
As per the report, about 40 private water tankers are being used to quench the thirst of 32 villages and 15 hamlets in the Marathwada region, which comprises Aurangabad, Jalna, Beed, Latur, Nanded, Hingoli and Parbhani districts.
In Aurangabad, 29 villages and 15 ‘wadis' (hamlets) are dependent on 36 private tankers for water supply, the report says.
Two villages Hingoli district receive water through as many tankers. In Nanded district, two tankers are supplying water to one village, the report says. (PTI)
It was an unregistered missing persons application at the Bhoiwada police station on October 31, 2013, that helped the Mumbai police nab an accused after a woman’s torso was found at Charai Lake in Chembur. The woman’s head and limbs had been severed in order to ensure that her identity could not be ascertained.
The first task for the Chembur police was to identify the woman. They started going through missing persons complaints across the city that matched with that of a woman between 30-40 years of age who had gone missing.
While the police did not find any such registered missing persons case, a Bhoiwada police official informed them that such an application had been received. (Read more)
Maharashtra Congress slams Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar over the joint celebration of birthday of both at a 5-star hotel in South Mumbai, planned on July 20, Thursday.
All ministers and Legislators from the ruling side are invited to the same.
Congress says that the government was holding swearing-in ceremony when people lost their lives in an accident on the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi expressway while the birthday celebration is being planned on a day when people have died in a landslide.
UBT Sena leaders Aditya Thackeray and Sunil Prabhu have arrived at Khalapur's Irshalwadi.
Speaking on the Raigad landslide in Vidhan Parishad BJP leader Pravin Darekar stressed the need for a long-term action plan.
" A long-term action plan is needed to avoid such issues. Whether we are falling short in technology like GPS mapping that such villages at risk are not flagged needs to be seen. Areas like Raigad and Konkan frequently see such incidents. In such areas, we should look at steps like more NDRF stations in such areas and setting up of four to five permanent centres with kitchens where people can be rehabilitated in such instances rather than them seeking shelters in bus stands and schools needs to be looked at. There should be a meeting of all leaders to discuss these issues," he said.
Opposition leaders Sachin Ahir, Bhai Jagtap and Shashikant Shinde earlier sought a discussion on the issues in the Upper House on Thursday
A retaining wall of the service road of National Highway Mumbai -Goa collapsed (NH 66 Chainage 128.250) due to the turbulent flow of the river. The place is near Visawa Hotel near Mahad city. However, traffic remained unaffected along the route.
Devendra Fadnavis today made a statement in Maharashtra Assembly on the landslide incident in Raigad district.
"The rescue teams are facing issues due to heavy rain in the area. All the arrangements have been made on the spot. All the officials and even Chief Minister and other ministers are present on the site," said Fadnavis.
"In the past three days, 499 mm of rainfall took place in the Khalapur area. A temporary helipad has been set up on the site. We are checking if earth-removing machines can be taken to the site using a helicopter. Two helicopters are on stand-by for rescue operation. As many as 25 to 28 families are affected in the landslide," he added.
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said that after the landslide tragedy in Malin village in 2014, a survey was conducted and a list of landslide-prone villages were prepared. However, the villager Irshalwadi was not on the list. There is also no history of landslides in the village.
Mumbai's water reserve in all seven lakes stands at 39.6% on Thursday morning.
This shows an increase in the overall water level in all the lakes by 3% over the past 24 hours due to heavy rains pouring in the catchment areas of the lakes. The BMC administration is expected to review the overall water stock in the lakes by the end of this month and then take a call on whether to revoke the ongoing 10% water cut that has been implemented in Mumbai or to charge an additional 5% cut. Earlier on July 20, 2022, the water reserves in all seven lakes stood at 88%, while in 2021, it was around 33%.
Mumbai has recorded overall rainfall close to 100 mm in the past 24 hours.
Till 8.30 am on Thursday, the Santacruz observatory recorded 99 mm of rain, while the coastal observatory at Colaba recorded 85 mm of rainfall. The IMD categorizes rainfall between 64.5 mm and 115.5 mm as heavy rains, and the downpour that the city has experienced over the past 24-hours qualifies for this category.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the spot early on Thursday morning and announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the kin of deceased persons. Shinde said that the landslide-affected village was not on the list of the landside-prone villages of the state.
"I received a call from Home Minister Amit Shah assuring all possible help from the centre including deployment of helicopters for the rescue attempt. However, due to the weather conditions, it is difficult to use helicopters as of now. Because of the location of the disaster site, we are facing problems in deploying heavy machinery to facilitate the search and rescue operations and everything is being done manually," Shinde said.
Given the incessant rainfall that the city received on Wednesday and in anticipation of the heavy downpour predicted for Thursday, a holiday has been declared for all private and government-run schools in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Raigad.
On Wednesday evening, Commissioner of Education for Maharashtra Suraj Mandhare issued an order to all regional heads for school education instructing them to take decisions regarding observing a holiday on Thursday after consulting with the local disaster management bodies. Soon after the order, education officer from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Rajesh Kankal issued a circular declaring a holiday for all schools in Mumbai on Thursday. (Read more)
Here's a look at the initial visuals from the landslide site.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has reached the base of the accident site in Raigad district.
As per the NDRF, 15 to 20 houses are believed to be buried under the debris after the landslide.
Industries Minister Uday Samant, who is at the spot and coordinating the rescue attempts, said that many people are feared trapped among the debris.
"The incident occurred at 10.30 pm at the place adjoining Irsalgad in Raigad district. It is a very remote inaccessible area, which is hampering rescue attempts. As of now 4 people have died and 25 people have been rescued. More people are feared to be trapped and NDRF and district administration is making attempts to rescue people," Samant said.
Several families feared being trapped after a landslide in Maharashtra's Raigad. The incident took place at Khalapur in Raigad, which is 6 km away from Chowk village near Morbe dam, the water supplier for Navi Mumbai.
The rescue team is on the site and efforts are underway to locate and aid those still caught in the aftermath of the landslide. The settlement comprises 50 to 60 houses.
Amid heavy downpour, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has declared a holiday for all schools (from Nursery to 12th grade) of Mumbai city and its suburbs on July 20.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that instructions have been given to the commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to rescue people who are stuck in rains.
Shinde said, "I have ordered the Commissioner of BMC to assure people get back to their homes safely and rescue those who are stuck in the rain".
He added that all the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and other agencies are on alert mode regarding the situation. "All the emergency agencies NDRFs, SDRFs and Municipal cooperations, everyone is on alert mode. They are working on rescue operations and assure the public gets proper relief facilities. Since morning I am in contact with the Secretaries and DMs, and people are being shifted to safe places," CM Shinde said.
A 20-year-old man clung to a tree branch for about an hour in swirling waters of Waldhuni river in Kalyan city in Thane district of Maharashtra before he was rescued.
The man fell into the river while walking on a flooded road amid heavy rains at around 3 pm. On receiving the information, a team of Fire Brigade personnel rushed to the spot and rescued the man.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said the scam of street furniture is clear, and said BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha and Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh he had asked the same questions on the matter. "It is possible that BMC is also involved in this scam or not. But the most important thing remains that the inquiry of all things in this scam should be carried out by Lokayukta...the documents that we have asked for should also be handed over to us...I want to say clearly that there is a scam. When our government will be formed and the next government is going to be ours, then all the officers will have to answer or go to jail," he said.
The Collector of Palghar district has declared a holiday for all schools and colleges in the district on July 20 in view of the heavy rain alert. The collector has advised citizens to avoid going out of the house, if it is not necessary.
The Enforcement Directorate has filed a fresh case against Naresh Goyal, the founder of Jet Airways and others. The agency is also conducting raids at nearly eight locations in Mumbai and Delhi.
In February this year, the Bombay High Court had quashed and set aside the money laundering case lodged by ED against Goyal and his wife Anita Goyal. It also quashed all pending proceedings and actions arising from the case against Goyals.
The Kalyan-Kasara section was restored to normal at 5.25 pm. and the Ambernath-Badlapur down section was restored to normal at 5.50 pm.
The Badlapur-Ambernath up section is yet to be restored.
Train services between Kalyan and Kasara section were stopped due to a track changing point failure at Kalyan station after rains in the area.
Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad blamed the rise in rain-related diseases like leptospirosis, malaria and dengue on the state government and BMC. Speaking in the state Assembly, she said citizens are suffering because of "their mismanagement and shoddy implementation of monsoon related works".
A four-month-old child fell into nullah, when a female commuter who was travelling with her child and father decided to step down and take the track after waiting for almost two hours in train. The train had stopped between Kalyan and Dombivali.
The child's father lost his balance while walking near a nullah on track, due to which the child fell into nullah. Rescue operation is ongoing.
As heavy rains affected the local train services and road traffic, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered that government offices in Mumbai and the neighbouring region should be closed early so that employees get more time to reach home.
The Maharashtra legislative assembly was adjourned following a noisy protest by BJP MLAs over a remark about `Vande Mataram' by Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Azmi.
While raising the issue of a riot in the Sambhajinagar district, Azmi said chanting the slogan `Vande Mataram' was unacceptable to him. “Some people say that if one has to live in India, `Vande Mataram' must be chanted. We can not do it. We believe only in one god,” he said.
The BJP took a swipe at the opposition parties over a Samajwadi Party legislator's remark in the Maharashtra Assembly on chanting 'Vande Mataram', asking if this was their idea of 'INDIA'.
A number of rivers including the Ulhas (Thane), Amba, Savitri and Patalganga (in neighbouring Raigad) were in spate, they said.
Some bridges on the Ulhas, Kalu and Murbadi rivers in Thane were inundated. As many as 200 families from Sonivali and Hendrepada in Badlapur town of Thane have been shifted to safer places following heavy downpour and flooding in those areas, District Information Officer Nandkumar Waghmare said.
Around 60 families from Morya Nagar in Kalyan taluka and inmates of a senior citizens' home in Ambarnath area of Thane were also shifted to safer places. A report from the Thane district headquarters said the Amba river in Nagotane, Savitri in Mahad, Patalganga in Lohap, and Ulhas river in Jambulpada have crossed the danger mark.
The Kundalika river in Dolvahal, Ulhas in Badlapur, and Kalu in Titwala have crossed the warning level. Some bridges were inundated between Rayte and Dahagaon (over Ulhas river), on road leading to Chikle village (over Kalu river), and over the Murbadi river in Murbad, a district administration official said. (PTI)
Some areas in Vasai were water-logged and teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), police and revenue department were carrying out rescue and relief operations, he said.
Incessant rains resulted in flooding at Rasayani police station in Maharashtra's Raigad district. The entire police station premises including rooms were flooded, and policemen had to wade through over a foot of water.
An abandoned new-born baby, rescued by police from garbage in Powai, has found a home at the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital. A favourite at the hospital, the baby gets visits from doctors and nurses.
According to BMC's Automatic Weather Station (AWS), 38 mm of rainfall recorded in island city between 8 am and 4 pm today, followed by 42.56 mm in Eastern Suburbs and 35.58 mm in western suburbs.
Wednesday:
UP trains-
1)12128 Pune-CSMT Intercity exp
2)11008 Pune-CSMT Deccan exp
3)22106 Pune-CSMT Indrayani exp
DOWN trains-
1)12123 CSMT-pune exp
2)11009 CSMT-Pune Sinhagad exp
Thursday:
UP trains-
1)12124 Pune-CSMT exp
2)11010 CSMT-Pune Sinhagad exp
DOWN trains-
1)12127 CSMT-Pune Intercity exp
2)11007 CSMT-Pune Deccan exp
3)22105 CSMT-Pune Indrayani exp
The IMD has said that an orange alert will continue in Mumbai for the day and has issued a yellow alert for Thursday.
Meanwhile, orange alert has been issued for Thane till Thursday. Palghar and Raigad districts are on red alert today, and on an orange alert for Thursday and Friday.