Mumbai this week: NDRF concludes rescue ops in landslide-hit Raigad, 27 dead; city sees rise in rain-related incidents

🚨 Apart from the NDRF, teams of SDRF and Thane Disaster Response Force, locals and trekkers joined hands in an effort ot locate missing persons. A 52-year-old assistant fire officer with the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation died of cardiac arrest while undertaking the arduous trek to reach the site.

Sadaf Modak and Nayonika Bose spoke to survivors of the tragedy. Read their reports

🚨 As Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis told the state Assembly that Irshalwadi is not among the list of landslide-prone areas, the Opposition highlighted the the non-implementation of Dr Madhav Gadgil Committee report on Western Ghats and the need for weather-proof houses in hilly villages.

Following are the other important updates from Mumbai and Maharashtra in the past week (July 17-23):

Rise in rain-related accidents as city sees heavy rains

☔ Mumbai and neighbouring districts saw heavy rains over the past week, with the city receiving the monthly quota of July rains in the first 20 days and crossing the 200-mm daily rainfall mark on Saturday. Among the lakes that supply water to the city, Tulsi reached its maximum capacity and Tansa is close to overflowing.

🌧️ The rain brought with it traffic snarls, bringing vehicular movement to snail’s pace at key routes like the Western Express Highway, Santacruz Chembur Link Road and Andheri Subway. As train tracks went under water on some days, many turned to the Metro for their daily commute.

☔ Amid incidents of tree falls, building collapses and electrocution, schools were shut for a few days, while CM Eknath Shinde directed government employees to leave from work before closing time. Intense wet spells on Wednesday claimed lives of two minors in separate incidents at Bhandup and Bhiwandi, while a four-month-old went missing after falling into a train, after his parents were forced to walk on train following the stalling of a train.

🌧️ As authorities warned people against venturing near the city’s six beaches, amid eight drowning incidents this month, the BMC started a survey of landslide-prone areas in light of the Irshalwadi landslide.

Heavy rains resulted in potholes in many parts of the city; delay in running of trains led to heavy crowds at railway stations. (PTI, Reuters)

Kirit Somaiya ‘video row’ triggers Oppn outrage

BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya drew Opposition fire in Maharashtra over a purported video that showed him in a compromising position with a woman. The video clip was beamed Monday by Marathi TV channel Lokshahi. While Somaiya denied the allegations and requested a probe into the authenticity of video, Fadnavis said “nobody will be protected“. The channel, meanwhile, has submitted only a minute-long video clip so far to the police.

On the political front

👉 Monsoon Session: During the ongoing Maharashtra Assembly session, Maha Vikas Aghadi MLAs staged a walkout from the Assembly after Speaker Rahul Narvekar denied permission for a discussion on the Manipur situation, two days after a video emerged of two women being disrobed and paraded naked in the violence-hit state.

40 MLAs also submitted a memorandum to the Governor, demanding removal of Neelam Gorhe from the post of Deputy Chairperson of the State Legislative Council, following her move to switch over from the Sena (UBT) to the rival Shinde faction.

CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar arrive for the Monsoon Session of Maharashtra Assembly. (PTI, Express photos)

👉 NCP: Ajit Pawar-led NCP is yet to take a call on whether to hold a third meeting with party president Sharad Pawar, who has refused to extend support to his nephew.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray met Ajit Pawar for the first time since the NCP split. NCP is now both on the ruling and Opposition sides in Maharashtra, writes Alok Deshpande

👉 Shiv Sena: Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that Neelam Gorhe can continue as the deputy chairperson of the State Legislative Council as she had not switched parties. “She was and is with Shiv Sena,” Fadnavis said.

👉 Congress: The indecisiveness of the Congress leadership in finalising the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly is further fueling the infighting within the state unit of the party.

Other important news this week:

1. Actor Vivek Oberoi files complaint with Mumbai police after business partners defraud him of Rs 1.54 crore
2. 3 doctors violated code of ethics during clinical trials at JJ Hospital, says probe
3. Second youngest organ donor in Mumbai helps 5-yr-old get a new life
4. Load testing on Pune-bound viaduct of ‘Missing link’ project postponed by 2 weeks amid heavy rain
5. In a first, Mumbai’s Guardian Minister gets cabin at BMC headquarters
6. BMC kills 800 rats in 15 days around civic hospitals for patients’ safety
7. ‘Don’t let nationalities come in way of mother and infant’: HC protects Russian woman from forcible exit from India

Photo of the week

Clouds are visible on Mumbai’s skyline; the city has witnessed heavy rains in the past week. (Express photo by Pradip Das)

News to watch out for next week:

1. With the lake levels touching 50% today, the BMC will take a review of the water stock in Mumbai this week, following which a decision to revoke the 10% water cut or imposing an additional 5% cut will be taken by the administration.
2. The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Mumbai in Sunday and Monday indicating light to moderate spells. However, in the days to come, the intensity of rains is likely to recede as no such alert has been issued for the maximum city for the rest of the days in the coming week.
3. Bombay High Court to hear anticipatory bail plea by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA and minister Hasan Mushrif in a money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Mushrif was granted interim protection from arrest till July 25.
4. The Bombay High Court to hear on July 27 bail plea on merits by NCP leader Nawab Malik booked by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in money laundering case. On July 13, HC rejected his interim bail plea on medical grounds, observing that he was provided with adequate medical help at a private hospital of his choice and his right to health or life was not infringed in any manner.

News from Mumbai: July 10-16

News from Mumbai: July 3-9

News from Mumbai: June 19-25