Monsoon fury in Maharashtra: Mumbai gets respite after 2 days; landslide in Ratnagiri

Mumbai, Jul 7 (PTI) Rains eased in Mumbai on Tuesday after two days of relentless downpour and public transport including the local train services returned to normal, even as the death toll due to flood-related incidents in neighbouring Palghar district over the last one week reached ten, officials said. Incessant rains also triggered a major landslide in the coastal Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, burying five houses. The incident occurred in Dahivali area of Khed tehsil on Monday night, following which a 75-year-old woman was rescued, officials said. Efforts were underway to rescue two more persons, they said. Thousands of 'warkari' piligrims on their way to the temple town of Pandharpur were advised to avoid travelling through Alandi in Pune district due to a severe flood situation. Two boys drowned, while two women suffered injuries as cement sheets collapsed in a garden in Mumbai's Andheri area during heavy rains and winds in the last 24 hours, officials said. Across the city, 428 incidents of trees and branches crashing down and 28 complaints of wall and house collapse were reported, indicating the intensity of Monday's downpour. Railway officials said one of the three lines damaged by landslides in the Bhor Ghat section on the Mumbai–Pune route was expected to be restored by Tuesday night after the disruption brought train services between the two metro cities to a standstill on Monday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an ‘orange’ alert, warning of intermittent showers with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated spots, along with gusty winds reaching 60–70 kmph. All schools and colleges in Mumbai remained closed on Tuesday as a precautionary measure. The Virar-Vasai belt in Palghar district was inundated since Monday morning. Floodwaters gradually receded after the intensity of rain reduced by evening. The first local train departed from Virar for Churchgate in south Mumbai at 3.57 am on Tuesday, a Western Railway spokesperson said. Suburban services on all four corridors of the Central Railway were operating with some delays. Two boys, aged 17 and 14, drowned in floodwaters in Malad and Govandi areas of Mumbai on Monday evening, said a statement from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The Santacruz observatory in the suburbs recorded 90.4 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Tuesday, while the Colaba observatory in the island city recorded 57.2 mm of rainfall. Traffic on the Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway's 'Missing Link' bypass section resumed on Monday night after remaining shut for more than 18 hours following a landslide, officials said. Heavy rainfall triggered 22 landslides in Pune district over the last two days, officials said. Lonavala, a popular hill station in Pune district, recorded a whopping 670 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 7 am on Monday. Restoration work on the affected railway tracks in the Bhor Ghat section is being carried out on a war footing, and the middle line is expected to be restored by Tuesday night, Central Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer Swapnil Nila told PTI. According to the Central Railway, 14 trains were cancelled, one was partially cancelled, five were diverted, three were short-terminated, three were short-originated, and one was rescheduled due to the disruption. The administration in neighbouring Thane district banned entry to all tourist destinations, including forts and water bodies, due to heavy rain forecasts. Trustees of the Shri Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Sansthan appealed to warkaris to avoid travelling to Alandi in Pune district for the 'palkhi' (palanquin) departure ceremony, and join the procession later as the Indrayani river crossed the danger mark. The 'palkhi' departure ritual scheduled for July 8 will be held with only a limited number of participants. Every year, lakhs of warkaris (devotees of Lord Vitthal) participate in the pilgrimage, joining the palkhi procession of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj from Alandi and of Sant Tukaram from Dehu before they head to Lord Vitthal's temple in Pandharpur. Amid the turbulent weather in Mumbai, an unmanned Nicaragua-flagged merchant tanker, which ran aground off Manori, remained stranded for the second day on Tuesday, officials said. The ship, MT Al Jafzia, is stuck a kilometre off the Mumbai's western coast. In Palghar, 389 families comprising 1,261 persons have been shifted to relief centres in Palghar, Vasai and Wada talukas. A team each of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has been deployed in Virar. The continuous downpour led to flood-like situations in several pockets. "The flood-related incidents have resulted in 10 deaths across the district so far, with three casualties reported in the last 24 hours. Additionally, one person has been reported missing in Dahanu," said district collector Indu Rani Jakhar. Nashik, Trimbakeshwar, Igatpuri, and Surgana talukas of Nashik district received heavy rains, sending the Godavari river in spate, but there was no cloudburst as forecast by the weather department. Opposition members demanded a discussion in the Maharashtra assembly on Tuesday on the heavy rain situation in the state, citing loss of lives and widespread damage. Speaker Rahul Narwekar disallowed the adjournment notices, but asked the Opposition to raise the issue through a short-duration or a half-an-hour discussion. Nana Patole (Congress) urged the Chair to suspend the day's business to discuss the impact of heavy rains, particularly in Mumbai, Thane and other parts of the state. Supporting the demand, Jayant Patil of NCP (SP) said 12 persons died in rain-related incidents over the last two to three days and alleged administrative lapses. Shiv Sena (UBT) member Bhaskar Jadhav claimed 20 to 25 persons died and said that not just in cities, there have been rain-related losses in rural areas as well. The Opposition also highlighted the condition of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway 'Missing Link' project, claiming that roads had been washed away or split into two at several places, disrupting connectivity. Large parts of the Konkan region and several urban areas were facing severe waterlogging, Opposition members said. Amid the disruption caused by the monsoon after a late onset, a video of 'Spiderman' helping people navigate a flooded road in Bhiwandi brought cheer to netizens. Shadab Momin, a content creator dressed as Spiderman, was seen carrying two children on his shoulders to safety on a waterlogged road, and also guilding vehicles. He wanted to help people as well as draw attention to the recurring problem of waterlogged roads, he told reporters. PTI KK SPK ZA MR COR VT GK KRK