Mumbai: Both houses of the state legislature closed early on Monday owing to heavy rainfall and strong winds and the IMD issuing a ‘red’ alert. The state assembly functioned for around 10 minutes, allowing only for statements from the Opposition and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on rain-related disasters.Adjourning the assembly, Speaker Rahul Narwekar said, “The rains seem like a force majeure. The Opposition needs to work with the government.”The Opposition staged a protest against the rain-related deaths outside the assembly, shouting slogans against Fadnavis as the “Infra-man”.In the assembly, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar demanded an inquiry into the rain-related disasters in the city and state. “Twelve people have died in Mumbai either in manholes, tree falls or building collapses. Responsibility needs to be fixed on someone. The government should direct an inquiry into the disasters in Mumbai and the state,” he said.He also said that the government needed to act on dilapidated buildings and unauthorized structures ahead of the monsoon. “Nothing seems to have been done. Look at the condition of the Missing Link. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway has been shut down. Even the old highway is shut,” he said.Congress leader Amin Patel said, “A state of emergency should be declared in Mumbai and Mumbai Metropolitan Region. This dance of death needs to stop. The government should declare Rs 25 lakh compensation to those who have died.”Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ajay Choudhary said, “Trees are falling in Mumbai and the BMC needs to urgently trim them. The cement-concrete roads are also coming apart and need to be fixed.”

Vasai: Three days of heavy rain brought life to a standstill across Vasai-Virar, with widespread flooding inundating residential areas, disrupting transport and leaving thousands of residents without electricity and internet connectivity. A red alert has been issued for Palghar district for Tuesday and all schools and colleges declared closed.Vasai-Virar received 213mm of rainfall on Saturday, 325mm on Sunday and 202mm till 7pm on Monday. Low-lying areas were submerged, water entered ground-floor homes, and major roads and marketplaces were under water. Incessant rain, coupled with strong winds, made trees and electricity poles fall, and damaged hoardings. In some areas, tin roofs were blown away, portions of balconies collapsed and retaining walls gave way. Power supply was disrupted for more than 12 hours in several localities. Access was cut off to Chulne village in Vasai West, which floods almost every monsoon, after internal roads and bridges across drains were submerged. Public transport was crippled. Western Railway was forced to suspend suburban train services between Vasai and Virar for several hours on Monday after tracks in Nalasopara got inundated. Scores of passengers were forced to get off trains at Vasai and walk along the tracks in waist-high water towards Nalasopara. Local trains, though, continued to run between Churchgate and Vasai Road. Long-distance trains could not proceed south of Virar due to which many were short-terminated at Vaitarna, Kelve Road and Palghar, and 22 trains were regulated at different stations. Civic bus services and autos stayed off the roads, forcing residents to rely on private tractors to cross inundated stretches. Around 50 persons trapped inside houses in Vasai and over 25 stranded in floodwaters in Virar were rescued. TNN

Navi Mumbai: The catchment area of Morbe dam, located on the outskirts of the city, received a record single-day rainfall of 333 mm in 24 hours, bringing relief to the administration and residents, as dam storage volume rose to 43% from last week’s 26%.The water level dwindled drastically during extreme summer, leading to a 10% water cut, and further cut in supply was the talking point then. Following the impressive rainfall in the last six days, a message claiming that the Morbe dam overflowed went viral on social media. The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) denied the misleading information, terming it a rumour.Clearing the rumour and misconception, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation said Morbe dam is owned by NMMC at Morbe in Khalapur, Raigad district, and it is 43% full and has not overflowed yet. The message going viral is regarding the Morbe Small Irrigation Scheme located in Panvel taluka and owned by the water resources department. It has been informed by the department that the Morbe Scheme overflowed on Sunday.The NMMC appealed to citizens not to believe rumours and to prioritise only official information. Two toll-free numbers were provided by the civic administration for emergencies: 1800222309 or 1800222310.The city received over 180 mm of rainfall and 91 tree-falling cases were reported in the last 24 hours, leading to traffic snarls and waterlogging at most locations.A landslide took place near the RBI Colony metro station following continuous and heavy downpour in the city. According to Cidco, no loss of life or damage to property was reported in the incident. The affected part, due to accumulation of debris, was shut for movement and traffic was diverted. Metro services remained unaffected all through the day, and commuters have been advised to stay clear of the restricted area of the station premises.

Mumbai: A 28-year-old autorickshaw driver sustained injuries after a tree branch fell on his autorickshaw in Goregaon East on Sunday afternoon amid heavy rainfall.The incident occurred around 1:45 pm on Mohan Gokhale Road, Goregaon East. The injured driver, identified as Deepak Mari, 28, is a resident of Sai Baba Complex.Mari halted his autorickshaw and was preparing to leave for his duty in Teen Dongri, Goregaon West, when a tree branch suddenly snapped and crashed onto his rickshaw. The impact damaged the autorickshaw.Mari sustained minor injuries to his left hand and left leg and was immediately taken to Trauma Care Hospital in Jogeshwari East, where he received treatment. He was discharged on the same day.In a separate incident, a woman suffered injuries in a tree crash in Goregaon West on Sunday. The incident occurred on MG Road. The woman tooktreatment and is out of danger.

Navi Mumbai: A landslide from a hillock on the common stretch of the Kashedi Ghat section resulted in a complete closure of the Mumbai-Goa highway for around 12 hours on Monday. The landslide came along with trees and vegetation, leading to 7-8 ft-high debris deposits on the stretch. The incident was reported around 1.30 am in Khed taluka, Ratnagiri district. A family has been relocated to a safer place.“The Goa-bound carriageway has been restored for traffic movement, but the Mumbai corridor will be opened on Tuesday. The debris is lying on a 250-300m-long stretch of NH-66. Neither was anyone injured nor was any vehicle damaged in the incident. Incessant rain continues to lash the area, affecting our operation,” said PWD secretary Santosh Shelar.This is apart from the 2-3 inundated stretches under Roha taluka in Raigad district, where traffic movement has been shut and diverted to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Pune.Shelar further said, “There were petty landslides reported at Parshuram ghat section in Ratnagiri and minor boulder-fall incidents in some other stretches. Various teams are continuously monitoring the situation. Those stuck on the highway were offered tea, snacks and water as there is no canteen available on the landslide-hit stretch.”A house nearby was partially damaged in the landslide. The district administration has evacuated three family members of a local resident, Krishna Jadhav, to a safer location. The preventive action was taken following the landslide. Following the incident, vehicular queue was extended to a few kilometres.A Khed rescuer on the spot, Prasad Gandhi, said, “A muck of the debris mass with rainwater has flooded a portion of the Mumbai-bound carriageway. Partial damage occurred to the house due to the landslide. Since the opening of the tunnel road, the old stretch of the highway is hardly used by motorists.”

Mumbai: Heavy rain and poor weather over Mumbai disrupted flight operations at the city airport on Monday afternoon, forcing five flights to divert to alternate airports, while no weather-related cancellations were reported.According to airport officials, flights from Raipur and Singapore were diverted to Hyderabad, while services from Delhi, Muscat and Kolkata were diverted to Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Vadodara, respectively, after they were unable to land safely in Mumbai because of adverse weather conditions.​ Both arrival and departure flights were inordinately delayed, leaving the terminal building teeming with passengers.Despite the diversions, airport operations remained largely stable, with airlines and air traffic controllers managing arrivals and departures around intermittent spells of heavy rain and reduced visibility, a source said. Meanwhile, airlines have advised passengers to check the latest flight status with their respective airlines, as further changes to schedules could occur depending on weather conditions over Mumbai on Tuesday.

MUMBAI: The Mankhurd Police on Monday arrested the contractor and the chawl owner after six people were killed when an unauthorized four-storey structure collapsed onto a neighbouring hutment in New Mandala on Saturday night.On Saturday at around 8. 30pm due to heavy rains and gusty weather the alleged illegal two storey structure at Janta nagar trapped its occupants and the neighbouring house under its debris. The locals and the Ward office later informed the police that the building, allegedly constructed without the required permissions and in violation of safety norms.Police said the accused identified as Abdul Wahid and Gulam Raza Sayyed were produced before the court and were remanded to police custody.Based on a complaint lodged by Mohammad Mukhtar Abdul Ali Shaikh, 53, the Mankhurd Police registered an FIR under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).The FIR alleges that the building owner and contractor knowingly carried out the unauthorized construction without following mandatory safety protocols. It further states that despite being aware that the structure had become dangerous, they failed to take any corrective measures or ensure the safety of the adjacent hutment.As a result, the building collapsed, killing six residents of the hut.Police said the case has also been registered against the hutment owner and other private individuals and government officials who allegedly knowingly facilitated or abetted the illegal construction.Deputy Commissioner of Police Sameer Shaikh confirmed that two persons have been arrested in the case, while efforts are underway to identify the role of other accused, including officials suspected of having enabled the unauthorized structure. Further investigation is in progress.