Mumbai: Due to the heavy rains that have been continuing in Mumbai for the past 6 days, the water level of lakes has increased and the water level has increased in 29% of the lakes. This year, better rainfall has been recorded in the month of July compared to last year. After better rainfall, 100% of the lakes are expected to be filled by September, while 300 mm of rainfall has been recorded for 6 days from July 1, due to which Vihar Lake has been filled, Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide claimed today. He said that during the rains, BMC officials and officers were deployed to low-lying areas, including places where complaints of water accumulation were received. Along with this, BMC staff is on alert. There has been a huge increase in the number of tree fall incidents during the rains in Mumbai city, northern suburbs and western suburbs and other places. More than 1,000 tree fall incidents have been reported in the month of July. On June 30, a wall collapsed in Walkeshwar, in which one person was injured. More than 100 complaints of wall collapse and house collapse during rains have been received in 5 to 6 days.
After the collapse of a three-storey building in Mankhurd, Bhide claimed that the building was illegal while more than 5 million people live in slums. Along with this, these slums are also provided with protection till 2011. In such cases, schemes have also been implemented for them and the government also pays attention to it. Along with this, instructions have also been issued to take action against the officers who provide protection to illegal construction works and along with this, special surveillance will also be maintained in such areas. He said that during emergency situations, families trapped in floods were shifted to BMC schools and assistance was provided to them. Two deaths have been registered due to falling trees.

Bhide said that many roads were affected due to the filling of drains, but after heavy rains, many roads were shifted and many were repaired. He said that separate guidelines have been issued for construction companies during the rains, which are mandatory for them to adhere to. If anyone violates them, action will be taken against them. Concrete roads have been made public to make Mumbai free of potholes and the BMC is also active in filling potholes. Along with this, necessary instructions have been issued to BMC officials after the Main Hall tragedy. Mumbai has suffered the most damage due to winds blowing at a speed of 70 to 80 km/h. In such a situation, the BMC is also focusing on the establishment of trees. Most of the trees are on the side of the footpaths and on the roads. In such a situation, along with the cutting of trees, emphasis has also been placed on their stability. Such dangerous trees are also cut down. They are in a dangerous condition. The public is also complaining to the BMC after accidents and the BMC is also on alert mode. Many trees have also been cut down. In this, most of the complaints are found to be valid and most are not.

Mumbai: The tragic incident of building collapse in Mumbai’s Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar constituency led to a heated debate in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly today during the monsoon session. Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi aggressively raised the issue of the loss of innocent lives in the tragedy and corruption within the local administration. Presenting the government’s stand, Minister Ashish Shelar assured the House that a thorough investigation would be conducted and strict action would be taken against all those involved, including the guilty municipal officials. Government corruption leads to the loss of lives of the poor: MLA Abu Asim Azmi

Mumbai; Highlighting the dire situation in his constituency, MLA Abu Asim Azmi said that last night, at 8:30, a three-storey building collapsed, resulting in the death of six innocent people living in two poor families with tin sheet roofs. The police have detained Ghulam Raza, the owner of a poor house, who rented his room for Rs. 1,000. What was his fault in this, who support unauthorized construction, if not even an inch of construction can be done without bribing the municipality officers? Expressing his anger, Azmi further said, “After 1995, during the Manohar Joshi era, it was decided to stop unauthorized constructions and if anything happens, to collect demolition costs from the concerned persons and register an FIR. Yet, even after 36 years, not a single ward officer has been suspended, as the development of Govindi is only on papers. Rainwater is filling people’s houses. Moreover, the vacated transit camp sites are being sold illegally through stamp paper agreements, despite this, the municipality is not taking any action.” He demanded an immediate meeting with the ward officer and the DMC to resolve these issues and stop such illegal activities.

The guilty will not be spared: Minister Ashish Shelar
Responding to questions from MLA Abu Asim Azmi, Minister Ashish Shelar expressed deep grief over the death of six people. He said, “This is really It is a sad incident. The government is taking positive steps regarding the two issues raised by the esteemed MLA. Regarding the first point, orders will be issued regarding the landlord who was detained by the police for simply renting a house, that no action will be taken against him, if he is not guilty in this incident. Otherwise, if he is involved in it, then action will also be taken against him. Clarifying the government’s stand on unauthorized constructions, Minister Shelar assured that a thorough investigation will be conducted against all those responsible or involved in the collapse of this three-storey building and the unauthorized constructions there. Even if the officials who saved these actions belong to the Municipal Corporation, they will not be spared. If anyone is found responsible, strict legal action will be taken against them. After this discussion, Tambhai’s eyes have focused on what steps the government takes regarding unauthorized constructions and corrupt officials in Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar.

Mumbai, July 7: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader, Sandeep Deshpande, on Tuesday took a sharp, sarcastic jibe at the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra and mocked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) frequent tendency to blame India’s historical issues on the country’s first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

“Pandit Nehru is responsible for the landslide on the Mumbai Pune Missing Link, and those who still want to criticise the government should move to Pakistan,” Deshpande wrote in his satirical post, taking a swipe at the ruling coalition’s typical rhetoric to deflect criticism.

Despande’s move to target the Mahayuti government comes after the Shiv Sena (UBT) on Tuesday in the party mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ editorial remarked that the political handling of the incident has followed a predictable pattern.

Whenever such structural failures occur, the ruling politicians shift accountability to nature to cover up administrative lapses.

“In the Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis deflected the blame entirely onto the unprecedented weather conditions. He maintained that while the administration had completed all necessary pre-monsoon preparations, the intensity of the downpour exceeded all engineering expectations—a defensive explanation that has become standard practice,” said the editorial.

Earlier, a major political controversy erupted in Maharashtra following a landslide on the recently inaugurated ‘Missing Link’ project on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Monday.

Coming just days after the project’s opening, the incident—along with reports of potholes surfacing on the stretch—has triggered intense scrutiny over the quality of construction, with Opposition parties training their guns on the Mahayuti government.

The controversy escalated after nearly 100 tonnes of debris and soil crashed onto the entry point of the Missing Link, which had been heavily promoted by the ruling alliance as an “engineering marvel.”

Opposition leaders swiftly surrounded Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, questioning the standard of work executed under the government’s watch. Opposition parties also questioned the projection of CM Fadnavis as ‘infra man’.

Responding to the allegations, CM Fadnavis defended the project, attributing the landslide to unprecedented rainfall and shifting climate patterns.

His justification, however, triggered a fresh wave of allegations and counter-allegations between the ruling and Opposition factions throughout Monday.

Following the massive landslide, traffic coming from both Mumbai and Pune directions on the Missing Link was completely suspended for the entire day on Monday. The blockade was cleared late at night.

Around 11:00 P.M, Fadnavis shared a video on social media showing the debris being removed, confirming that the stretch had been reopened for vehicles.

Addressing the incident, Fadnavis emphasised that the state machinery acted promptly. “A landslide occurred on the Mumbai-Pune route. These incidents are happening due to changing nature cycles. While the administration was fully prepared, events contrary to expectations took place,” Fadnavis stated.

He further added, “As soon as the landslide occurred on the connecting link, traffic was immediately stopped. Vehicles coming from both Mumbai and Pune sides were either halted or diverted. The state government and all relevant agencies are on high alert. Nearly 100 tonnes of debris came down on the road. Notably, this landslide occurred in an area where no such incident had ever been recorded in the past.”