Toll in landslide rises to 61

Deshmukh, who was addressing a press conference after a high-level meeting convened by him to take stock of the situation, however refused to fix responsibility for the breakdown in the government machinery on a particular department, saying the primary job of the Disaster Management Plan was to minimise the response period during a calamity.

Albeit, he conceded that there was lack of co-ordination between officials in the administration. His statement confirms a report in The Indian Express on Wednesday which said the government had failed to comprehend the gravity of the situation in the wake of the heavy rains.

The severe dislocation of transport services, loss of thousands of manhours of work, breakdown in power supply and the landslide which has claimed over 50 lives has left the city still struggling to find its rhythm after two days."I have instructed the concerned officials to have better co-ordination between the BMC, Navy, Central and Western Railways, BEST, MTNL and police," he said today. Further, he said, he has directed officials to convene meetings of the Disaster Management Group at least twice a year, including one before the monsoon.

"In fact, the Government machinery failed as the city registered its heaviest rainfall since 1974. The rainfall recorded at Colaba was 162.7 mm between July 11 and 12 and 187 mm between Wednesday and Thursday. Likewise, in Santacruz, it was recorded as 81 mm and 351 mm respectively. Normally, the rainfall recorded during this time of monsoon is hardly 30 to 40 mm," he pointed out. So far, the Colaba and Santacruz observatories have recorded 81 per cent and 79 per cent of the season’s average rainfall during a year, Deshmukh said.

He also said the Government has undertaken evacuation of slumdwellers on the banks of the Mithi river in North East Mumbai as it has crossed the danger mark. "So far, about 1,550 of the 2,500 families have been evacuated from the place," he said. Further, 350 families near the Vakola nullah will also be removed at a safer place, he added.

The Army and Navy are helping the State Government to evacuate the slumdwellers. Three squads of Navy have been deployed to deal with the situation if the floodwaters from the Mithi river endangers them in the adjoining areas. However, the slumdwellers were not co-operating with the Government machinery, he lamented.

Deshmukh also convened a meeting of MLAs, Opposition leaders and civic officials to deal with the situation during the monsoon. "The MLAs stressed on an immediate ban on the use of polythene and removal of potholes by the civic administration,"he said and added that instructions had been issued to the authorities for the purpose.

He said the government was helpless in preventing the use of plastic bags unless it gave an alternative to the people. In order to find a solution to the problem, the Government will soon hold a meeting of all political parties, he informed.

Deshmukh denied that the reclamation at the mouth of the Mahim creek for the Worli-Bandra sea link was the reason behind the flooding of many areas in Central Mumbai.