Mumbai News Highlights: Heavy rainfall to continue today; schools shut

Maharashtra | Due to heavy rain forecast in Mumbai, Mumbai Suburbs, Thane, Raigad, Palghar, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg districts, all exams scheduled for today (July 9, 2024) at the University of Mumbai have been postponed. New dates will be announced soon: University of Mumbai

— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2024

In view of the red alert warning issued by IMD in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has announced a holiday for all schools and colleges in the city and suburbs on Tuesday.

Schools and colleges in Navi Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Alibaug and Panvel will remain closed on Tuesday.

Election Commission allows NCP(SP) to accept contributions from individuals and companies.

The IMD in its latest forecast has put Mumbai under a red alert till 1 pm on Tuesday, indicating that heavy to very heavy rainfall will continue. A red alert has also been issued for Raigad and Ratnagiri districts till Tuesday afternoon, while an orange alert has been sounded for Palghar and Thane.

The Powai lake, which supplies non-potable water for industrial usage, overflowed following heavy rains. The lake has a water holding capacity of 545 crore liters and the 6.61-kilometre-long catchment area gets filled during the monsoon every year.

The Andheri subway, a crucial link connecting the eastern part of Andheri with the western, was shut after witnessing waterlogging twice. Traffic was diverted to SV road.

The Maharashtra government postponed the all-party meeting it had called on Monday on reservation issue in the state. It will now be held on Tuesday.

Intense spells of rain are very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Mumbai, Raigad, Thane and Ratnagiri during the next 3-4 hours.

• Sakkar Panchayat Chowk Sewree Wadala Road is closed temporarily.
• Dadar TT is closed temporarily.
• Hindmata Junction is closed temporarily.
• Andheri subway is closed temporarily, Traffic is diverted to SV road.

Traffic movement slow at:

• King Circle flyover northbound at Gandhi market.

Mumbai city recorded 101.8 mm of rainfall in nine hours on Monday, nearly seven times more than its suburbs in the same period, while some other parts of Maharashtra also experienced heavy showers.

The Colaba weather station, which records weather parameters for the island city, registered 101.8 mm of rainfall from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm, said Sushma Nair, scientist, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Mumbai. On the contrary, the Santacruz weather station, which measures weather parameters for Mumbai's suburbs, recorded only 14.8 mm of rainfall from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm, she said.

The island city, generally, receives much less rain than the suburbs.

Mumbai police formed 11 teams and also roped in the Crime Branch to nab the 24-year-old son of a ruling Shiv Sena leader after a BMW car the youth was driving crashed into a scooter, killing a woman and injuring her husband, an official said.

A Look Out Circular (LOC) has also been put out against Mihir Shah, son of Rajesh Shah, a Shiv Sena leader from neighbouring Palghar district, the official said on Monday. "He went to the residence of his female friend and has been untraceable since. He switched off his mobile phone in Borivali area. Considering the possibility of him fleeing Maharashtra, police teams have been sent to nearby states, including Gujarat," the official said.

"After the accident, Mihir's father and co-accused Rajesh Shah came to the spot within one-and-half hours. He was at the spot at 6:45am. The hit-and-run incident took place at 5:30 am," the official added. (PTI)

The Bombay High Court refused to grant any relief from demolition to 41 buildings in Vasai in Palghar district after observing that they are "wholly illegal and unauthorized" and constructed on land reserved for a sewage treatment plant and dumping ground.

A division bench of Justices M S Sonak and Kamal Khata, however, granted flat owners in the buildings time till September 30 to vacate the premises subject to submission of an undertaking to vacate.

In June this year, the bench, while hearing a petition filed against the buildings, said there was no impediment for Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) to take action against such "patently illegal" structures. After this, the VVCMC demolished some of the structures and issued demolition notice to 41 other buildings directing the occupants to vacate the same within 24 hours.

Mumbai's Powai Lake began overflowing as heavy rains lashed the city for the last couple of days. The lake, which has a storage capacity of 545 crore litres, started overflowing at 4.45 pm. However, its water is not potable and is used only for industrial purposes.

Central Railway services faced significant disruptions due to rain-induced waterlogging despite installing high-capacity pumps in low-lying areas, inconveniencing thousands of passengers as local trains stopped on tracks for hours. Many out-station trains on their way to Mumbai also remained stranded.

The first incident of water-logging was reported between Bhandup and Nahur stations in Mumbai, followed by Sion-Kurla, Chunabhatti, Dadar, and other locations. Subsequently, services on the Harbour line were suspended between Vadala and Mankhurd stations around 9:30 AM after the water level on tracks Chunabhatti rose to 9 inches.

The official said special services were operated on the Harbour line between Panvel-Mankhurd and CSMT-Vadala sections.

Harbour line services were resumed at around 1.15 PM after water from the tracks receded, more than two hours after the main line's fast corridor services were restored at around 10.30 am.

A Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) spokesperson said they operated 15 extra bus services between Panvel and Dadar, Uran and Dadar, and Panvel and Vashi till 11 am for the convenience of passengers as railway services remained suspended.

The 'wagh nakh' or tiger claw shaped weapon of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that the Maharashtra government intends to bring from a museum in London is not "original", historian Indrajit Sawant said and asserted the one used by the legendary emperor remains in the state's Satara itself.

The state government had last year signed a memorandum of understanding with the London-based museum to get the 'wagh nakh' that was used by the founder of the Maratha Empire to kill Bijapur Sultanate's general Afzal Khan in 1659.

The 'wagh nakh' is an enduring and revered symbol of the warrior king's tenacity and valour as it was used to subdue and kill a physically larger opponent.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stressed the state administration's zero tolerance for injustice and directed the police to handle hit-and-run incidents involving powerful and influential individuals with utmost seriousness to ensure justice is served.

Expressing his deep concern over the rising number of hit-and-run cases in Maharashtra, Shinde said, "It is intolerable that the powerful and influential misuse their status to manipulate the system. Such miscarriages of justice will not be tolerated by my government." He underlined the importance of protecting the lives of ordinary citizens and directed the state police to treat these cases with the highest priority.

A two-year-old boy was injured when a portion of the ceiling plaster fell on him in a building in Maharashtra's Thane district, a civic official said.

The incident occurred in a 40-year-old building in the Padval Nagar area of Wagle Estate in the early hours of the day, the official said. Local firefighters and the RDMC team rushed to the spot, cleared the debris and removed the remaining portion of the ceiling, said Yasin Tadvi, chief of the civic disaster management cell.

Maharashtra’s Raigad Fort has been closed for visitors till July 31 after around 500 trekkers were stranded on the footsteps amid heavy rain on Sunday evening.

“After July 31, we will take a decision on opening up the fort depending on the weather conditions at that time,” said Somnath Gharge, Superintendent of Police, Raigad.

Videos of people struggling to move to a safe spot from the footsteps of the hill that saw heavy water flowing in full force surfaced on Sunday evening. The police rescued tourists and trekkers after the water levels reduced.

The police officer also advised people to not use chor maarga—hidden routes to trek to places closed for trekkers.

The Mumbai crime branch filed a chargesheet against gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, and 8 of his gang menbers in connection with opening fire at Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s house in Bandra (West) on April 14.

The officers said they have submitted over 1700-page chargesheet against six ‘arrested accused’ — Sagar Pal, Vicky Gupta, Sonu Kumar Bishnoi, Harpal Singh alias Harry, Mohammad Rafiq Chaudhary and Anuj Thapan — under the provisions of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Thapan had allegedly died by suicide in the crime branch lockup. Statements of dozens of witnesses were recorded.

The Mumbai police investigating the BMW hit-and-run case have learnt that the accused Mihir Shah visited a bar in Juhu along with his four friends hours before the accident and paid a bill of about Rs 18,730 at around 1 am Sunday.

A police officer involved in the probe revealed that they recovered the bill and CCTV footage of the bar that will help them seek Mihir’s conviction in the case. The officer said Mihir went to Borivali to drop off his friends after leaving the bar.

The officer said, “Now that the accused has managed to escape, it will be difficult for us to prove that he has consumed alcohol through his blood samples. We will use other evidence that we have collected.” Read more here

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed two more First Information Reports (FIRs) in connection with the alleged corruption practices at the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) in Mumbai, and booked a deputy passport officer (DPO) and a granting officer (GO).

The fresh FIRs were filed on Friday taking the number of officials booked in the Passport Seva Kendra corruption case to 14. The agency booked DPO Pradnya Pradeep Wankhedkar of the Passport Seva Kendra at Malad and Umesh Devadhia, superintendent and GO at Lower Parel PSK. The 14 Regional Passport Office (RPO) officials who have been booked, include passport assistants or senior passport assistants, posted at Passport Seva Kendras of Lower Parel and Malad.

According to CBI’s FIR, Wankhedkar received illegal gratification in lieu of favouring passport agents in the matter of issuance of passports of various applicants.

The husband of a 45-year-old woman who was killed in a hit-an-run incident involving a BMW car in Worli has demanded harsh punishment for the 24-year-old accused who was at the wheels.

Speaking to reporters at the Worli police station, Pradeep Liladhar Nakhva, 50, husband of victim Kaveri Nakhwa, said, “Had the car driver shown some humanity and stopped the car, my wife would have been alive today. When the car hit our scooter from behind, I fell on the car’s bonnet, and Kaveri fell on my back, not sustaining grave injury initially.”

“We were shouting ‘Stop! Stop!’ to the person driving the vehicle. But he sped away with Kaveri on the bonnet. He dragged my wife on the bonnet from Ceejay House to Sea Link. I saw him; he was a young, skinny man with a beard and dense hair,” Pradeep added.

WITH HIS son Mihir on the run after alleged involvement in a hit-and-run death in Mumbai, and his party head Eknath Shinde promising strict action, heat is rising on Rajesh Shah, a local-level Shiv Sena leader.

On Sunday, Rajesh, the deputy leader of the Shiv Sena’s Palghar unit and a former district chief of the party, was arrested by the Mumbai Police along with his driver, Rajrishi Bidawat, on charges of destroying evidence. The BMW car involved in the case belongs to Rajesh, who was later granted provisional bail.

A businessman dealing in scrap and supplier of construction material in Palghar’s Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, Rajesh has been actively involved in Sena activities in Palghar and campaigned for the party during the Lok Sabha elections as well as the MLC polls for graduate seats held on July 2.

Read more about him here

Rainfall recorded over Mumbai 8.30 am till 5.30 pm on Monday:

Colaba: 101.8 mm
Santacruz: 14.1 mm

More than 30 animals, birds and reptiles were rescued in Mumbai and surrounding districts as heavy rains pounded the region, a forest official said.

Cases of lost and abandoned pets, strays, and domestic animals were also reported, along with wildlife distress calls from the city and suburbs, said Santosh Bhagane from the Mumbai range rescue team of the forest department.

"We have received more than 60 distress calls in 24 hours and rescued more than 30 animals, birds and reptiles from Mumbai and surrounding districts of Thane, Raigad and Palghar," said Pawan Sharma, founder and president of RAWW (Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare) and the honorary wildlife warden with the forest department. Pythons, vipers, cobras, rat snakes, and checkered keelbacks, among other reptiles displaced due to rains, were rescued from the periphery of forest areas and water-logged places, Sharma said.

Owing to heavy rains and waterlogging on railway tracks, 15 trains were rescheduled, while one each was cancelled and short-terminated. Here is the list:

A 50-year-old woman survived but lost her legs after she was run over by a train at a railway station in Navi Mumbai, an official said.

A viral video of the incident shows the 'local' (suburban) train slowly reversing, after alarm by commuters on the platform, to reveal the injured woman lying on the tracks.

The woman, who was travelling to Thane from Belapur station, where the accident happened, missed a step while boarding the crowded train and fell on the tracks. The train was already in motion and one compartment ran over her. Co-passengers and security personnel on the platform raised an alarm, after which the train started reversing.

The video shows the woman, with bloodied feet, trying to sit up with difficulty as policemen jump onto the tracks to help her.

Maharashtra Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Anil Patil and NCP MLC Amol Mitkari alighted from the Howrah-Mumbai train and walked on tracks for some distance amid heavy rains, a video of which went viral.

"The train was stuck up for about two hours. We got down on the tracks between Dadar and Kurla stations. I walked around 2 to 2.5 km, including on railway tracks, and reached Nehru Nagar police station," Mitkari said, adding some legislators were also stuck in the same train.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is reviewing the flood situation and heavy rainfall in the state and Mumbai due to heavy rains with the Ministry's Disaster Management Unit.

Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Anil Patil, Mumbai City District Guardian Minister Deepak Kesarkar, Mumbai Suburban District Guardian Minister Mangalprabhat Lodha, Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister Dr. I. S. Chahal, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Vikas Kharge, Disaster Department Secretary Sonia Sethi are present.

CM Eknath Shinde is monitoring the situation from the emergency control room in Mumbai.

Two newly-elected members of the Maharashtra legislative council were sworn in on Monday. The third new member, Kishor Darade, from the Nashik Teachers constituency, could not reach Mumbai for the ceremony due to heavy rains.

Deputy chairperson of the Council, Neelam Gorhe, administered the oath to the BJP's Niranjan Davkhare and Jagannath Motiram Abhyankar of the Shiv Sena (UBT).

Shiv Sena's Kishor Darade could not be present for the ceremony due to heavy rains in his region, she said.

A local train was reversed in Navi Mumbai to rescue a 50-year-old woman who fell on the track during peak hours on Monday, an official said.

The incident occurred at Belapur station around 10 am, when a commuter fell while waiting for a Thane-bound train, the official said.

"A Panvel-Thane train on platform number three of Belapur station was reversed to save the life of the woman commuter, and she was later rushed to nearby MGM hospital," said Swapnil Nila, chief public relations officer of the Central Railway.

A video that surfaced on social media shows the train slowly reversing from a crowded platform with an injured woman lying on the track.

The woman sustained severe injuries to her legs as the train passed over her, a railway official said, reported PTI.

Assembly proceedings have been adjourned for today due to heavy rainfall and disruption in transport services. 

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in Kurla and Ghatkopar areas of Mumbai and in other parts of Maharashtra, including Thane, Vasai ( Palghar), Mahad (Raigad), Chiplun (Ratnagiri), Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Sindhudurg, a spokesperson of the NDRF said, reported PTI.

51 flights were cancelled to and from Mumbai till 11 am today. 42 flights of IndiGo were cancelled, 6 AirIndia flights were cancelled, and 1 Qatar Airways departure was cancelled last night due to a Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) issue.

Heavy rains and low visibility had led to suspension of runway operations from 2:22 am to 3:40 am. So far, 27 diversions have been reported. Flights were diverted to Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Indore.

For now, priority is being given to arrivals, departures, and consequential changes being made to accommodate diverted flights.

In view of the heavy showers in parts of Maharashtra, the state government has declared a holiday on Monday for all schools in Mumbai, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts.

Maharashtra School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar made the announcement in the state legislative council here.

"Mumbai received rains last night. We have issued a notification in the morning declaring a holiday today for all the schools in Mumbai city, Mumbai suburban, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts," he said, reported PTI.

Police and other district authorities have evacuated several tourists and trekkers stranded at the Raigad hill fort near Mumbai after heavy rains in the vicinty.

The Raigad district in Maharashtra's Konkan region witnessed heavy rains over the last 24 hours, due to which a number of visitors were stuck at the fort.

Due to a flood-like situation at the 'Payri Marg' (step way) of the fort, tourists were facing difficulty in walking along that stretch, an official from Mahad police station said, reports PTI.

Raigad Fort has been closed for public visit till July 31. The decision comes follow cloud burst in Raigad that led to intense rain and flooding in the fort vicinity.

In a statement issued on Monday deputy CM Ajit Pawar says, "Mumbai witnessed 300 mm rainfall in six hours. It was almost ten per cent of the total rain city receives in a year."

Expressing serious concern, Pawar said, "Climate change is a biggest challenge before us. The state is subjected to intense drought, intense rainfall in 365 days. We need to focus on infrastructure to tackle the situation."

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) carries out desilting of minor and major nullahs alongside Mithi river annually and this year, the civic body allocated Rs 249 crore for the same.

However, despite the BMC’s claims of exceeding its pre-monsoon desilting target, the city witnesses water-logging owing to choking drains, year after year. Read full report here

CM Eknath Shinde says unprecedented 267 mm rainfall in short duration led to flooding of roads, subways in Mumbai and suburbs. NDRF teams have been deployed at 18 spots across state, he adds.

Mumbai Congress chief and LS MP Varsha Gaikwad slammed CM Eknath Shinde as the city reels under rain.

She said, "Mr. Chief Minister, we had previously informed you about the rampant corruption and negligence that has plagued the drainage and pre-monsoon work in Mumbai. However, no attention has been paid to this matter. Today the first big rains have caused havoc in Mumbai. All the claims made by this Mahacorrupt, contractor-friendly government have proven to be false yet again. This govt and its officials are shameless liars! What have they done to our beloved city?"

She added, "Today we saw many roads turn into mini-rivers and peak-hour traffic paralysed owing to flooding in many areas. Due to waterlogging on the railway tracks, all the three rail lines were impacted. Areas such as Milan Subway Andheri Subway, Dahisar Subway, LBS Road, Sakinaka 90 Feet Road, Matunga, Western Express Highway, Mahalaxmi, Dadar, Mahim, Dharavi, Parel, Shivaji Park, King's Circle, Kurla, Vidyavihar, Chembur, Andheri, Mulund, Dahisar, and other locations saw severe waterlogging. As a consequence, Mumbaikars were greatly inconvenienced. Many had to struggle to navigate through the water. Who is responsible for the suffering endured by the general public? The government must answer."

The Pune to Mumbai Deccan Queen and Nashik to Mumbai Panchvati Express has been cancelled due to heavy rain.

At 1:57 PM today, there will be a 4.40 m high tide in the sea, says IMD.

According to the IMD, the Santacruz observatory recorded 268 mm rain in the past 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Monday. Before this, the highest 24-hour spell was registered in 2019 when 375.2 mm rain was recorded on July 2.

"Due to heavy rains across Mumbai, daily life has been disrupted. Traffic congestion has occurred on the roads, and rail traffic has also been affected. The railway administration is working to remove water from the tracks, and efforts are underway to restore normalcy soon. I have instructed all emergency services to remain on high alert. Citizens are advised to leave their homes only if necessary and to cooperate with the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, police administration, and emergency services." Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said in a post on X.

In light of the inclement weather and forecast of heavy to very heavy rains, Mumbai Airport has advised all the passengers to check their flight status with their respective airlines and leave for the airport a little earlier.

Maharashtra legislative assembly has been adjourned till 1 PM due to heavy rainfall.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in Mumbai. Additionally, at 1:57 PM today, there will be a 4.40 m high tide in the sea.

In view of this, as a precautionary measure and to avoid inconvenience to students, all BMC schools, government schools, and private medium schools and colleges in Mumbai will remain closed for the second session as well.

The Andheri Subway, which had been shut for operations since last night, has been opened to traffic now.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani is monitoring the situation from emergency control room. All Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners and other systems of the Metropolitan Municipality are working at various places and the situation is under control.

Citizens can contact 1916 for immediate help in case of emergency.

VIDEO | Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani swings into action following heavy rains in the city. He is monitoring the situation from emergency control room. All Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners and other systems of the Metropolitan… pic.twitter.com/UBrhEh7HVl

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 8, 2024

Maharashtra's Relief and Rehabilitation minister Anil Patil had to walk on tracks after the Express Train in which he was coming to Mumbai stopped due to waterlogging on tracks.

VIDEO | Maharashtra minister Anil Patil walks on tracks after train disrupted due to waterlogging

Catch latest updates here: https://t.co/6DixZKoIuc pic.twitter.com/uOlw20tCFG

— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) July 8, 2024

Heavy rain lashed Maharashtra’s Mumbai between 1 am to 7 am today, leading to waterlogging and flood-like situations in several areas of the city. Residents flocked to social media to share videos of the commuters struggling to move and submerged vehicles.

Watch a compilation of videos here.

#WATCH | Severely waterlogged streets and railway track in Chunabhatti area of Mumbai, as the city is marred by heavy rains pic.twitter.com/qdxk6yi8Hb

— ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2024

A crowd gathered outside Mankhurd railway station due to disruption of services, and Sion Panvel Highway was clogged. 

(Express Photos by Amit Chakravarty)

Due to water logging at various places, train services on the main line Down and Up Fast line between CSMT and Thane is suspended. However, Down & Up slow lines are running.

Harbour line services are temporarily suspended due to waterlogging at Chunnabhati.

Owing to the heavy downpour, the water stock in the seven lakes that supply water to Mumbai jumped to 18.73 per cent on Monday morning. On the same day, last year, the lake levels touched 21.57 per cent, while in 2022, the water levels stood at 25.96 per cent of the total capacity.

The season's first heavy spells come even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued only a yellow warning which indicates 'heavy rainfall at isolated places' for the city on Sunday. The IMD is drawing flak from citizens for failing to flag the intensity of rains in the city.

On Sunday night, the weather bureau had issued a nowcast warning for the city and its neighbouring districts of Thane and Raigad at 12.30 am stating that 'thunderstorms accompanied with lightning and moderate to intense spells of rain with gusty winds' are likely to occur at isolated pockets of the districts in 3 - 4 hours.

The Mumbai University has postponed all exams of the Centre of Distance and Open Learning (formerly IDOL) scheduled on Monday for the first half, i.e., from 11am to 2 pm. The new date for these exams is July 13, 2024. Time and venue will remain the same.