Rain stalls Mumbai again

The Mumbai administration seems to have learnt nothing from July 26. For, Friday posed a similar threat and but for the light rainfall, it c...

The Mumbai administration seems to have learnt nothing from July 26. For, Friday posed a similar threat and but for the light rainfall, it could have been the same story. Traffic clogged the Andheri-Kurla Road and Dadar was caught in knee-deep water.

The city recorded 45.3mm rainfall at Santacruz and 2.4mm at Colaba by 2.30 pm. 8216;8216;The intensity of the thundershower was more over the northern suburbs, due to more cloud formation in the area. The rainfall kept us busy but it was not a surprise,8217;8217; C V V Bhadram, deputy director general of the India Meteorological Department western region, said.

8216;8216;We8217;re in control of the situation,8217;8217; Municipal Commissioner Johny Joseph said. 8216;8216;There8217;s waterlogging at Andheri Subway, Khar Subway, Kurla, Bharatmata, Hindmata, Dadar Flower Market, King8217;s Circle, Gandhi Market and Kala Chowkie,8217;8217; added assistant municipal commissioner Vilas Vaidya who heads the BMC8217;s disaster control cell. High tide rose close to 4m around 3 pm.

At 4.30 pm, assurance came from the disaster control cell: 8216;8216;Situation is normal.8217;8217; But 30 minutes later, at Dadar workshop and Hindmata, traffic was still being diverted.

Along the main line of Central Railway, services were suspended between 2 pm and 4 pm, the tracks were submerged at Matunga-Sion. DRM R.S. Virdi claimed that announcements about delays and cancellations were made at all stations, through a central announcement system. 8216;8216;I could hear them in my office,8217;8217; Virdi said.

Additional Chief Secretary Home Awadhesh Prasad Sinha, however, added that the high tide was nowhere near the danger level of 4.5m. 8216;8216;It8217;s only 3.7 metres,8217;8217; he said. 8216;8216;The sluice gates are open and water is being drained.8217;8217; No government office was permitted to close before scheduled time, he said, as there was no reason for worry.

1 minister at Mantralay

MUMBAI: Not one of the 25 Cabinet ministers and 13 ministers of state in the Vilasrao Deshmukh Government was present in the Mantralay on Friday as Mumbai feared a repeat of July 26. The saving grace was Minister of State for Medical Education, Tourism and Special Assistance Suresh Shetty. CM Vilasrao Deshmukh was in Delhi, his deputy R.R. Patil was in Satara. As warnings were issued across Mumbai, Shetty cleared out of the Mantralay by 3pm. 8212;ENS