Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai
Mumbai, Jul 6: Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Girish Mahajan on Monday urged people to remain vigilant and avoid unnecessary travel as heavy rainfall continued to disrupt normal life across several parts of the state, affecting road and rail services.
Appealing to the public to exercise caution, Mahajan said people should avoid travelling to tourist destinations and venture outdoors only when absolutely necessary.
"Strong winds of 70 to 90 kmph are blowing in many areas, and the Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for some places where heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected today and tomorrow," he said.
The minister said torrential rain had disrupted transport services across Maharashtra, while schools had been closed in several areas as a precaution.
Mahajan said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had convened a high-level meeting with officials of the Disaster Management Department to review the situation, adding that the government was closely monitoring developments and all concerned departments had been placed on alert.
He also confirmed that a section of the Missing Link project on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway had been closed following a landslide and appealed to political parties not to politicise the natural disaster.
Meanwhile, Congress MLA Satej Patil criticised the state government over its handling of the situation and demanded a detailed statement in the Assembly.
Patil alleged that the government had rushed to inaugurate the Missing Link project to claim credit but had failed to take responsibility after the landslide and resulting disruption.
He further claimed that inadequate planning had left commuters stranded on major highways without timely information despite the Meteorological Department issuing red and orange alerts in advance.
Questioning the government's preparedness, Patil alleged that Mumbai's infrastructure had failed to cope with the heavy rainfall and called on the state government to present a comprehensive report in the Assembly on the rainfall situation, traffic management and disaster response measures.