Mumbai, Sep 3 (TOI): The Bombay high court has observed that while nature cannot be controlled, there is no progress in the flood situation in Mumbai.

The court revealed its dismay after a petitioner moved the court to take up the hearing of a public interest litigation related to the impact of heavy rainfall. Advocate Atal Dubey's PIL had sought corrective steps to be taken after the June 2015 deluge over two days brought Mumbai to a halt.

The court had earlier summoned municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta to expedite the process to hand over the site for the second Doppler weather radar at Veravali reservoir in Jogeshwari to the Indian Meteorological Department. The IMD had told the court that BMC is demanding a one-time premium of Rs 56 lakh and annual lease rent of Rs 900.

Advocate S C Naidu, representing Dubey, on September 1 told a bench headed by the chief justice that despite a March 27, 2017 order, BMC has not handed possession to IMD over the premium issue.The order had directed BMC to give IMD possession by March-end so that "work can be immediately started towards installation of doppler radar to meet the consequences of bad monsoon."

Naidu said the August 29 rain once again caused havoc and brought Mumbai to a standstill. Calling the March 27 order "prophetic," he added, "See what has happened!" The bench remarked, "We cannot control nature...This is not happening for the first time." Naidu submitted that the issue can be resolved with the meeting of the state chief secretary, the municipal commissioner and IMD's director. When he referred to R K Laxman's July 4, 1948 cartoon on Mumbai rains saying the same situation prevails even today, the bench responded, "We haven't moved an inch from then." The hearing on the matter is posted on September 7.