Maharashtra ready to deal with any disaster during monsoon: CM Fadnavis

Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday that the administration is geared up to deal with any disaster that may arise during the monsoon season, adding that all agencies have made proper preparations for that.

He asked the administration to focus on preventing the loss of life and property during the monsoon season, and during a disaster, all the administrative officers should be responsible for staying in touch with the headquarters 24/7. He was speaking at a meeting held to review the pre-monsoon preparedness.

Stating that disaster prevention is the responsibility of all, CM Fadnavis said that it is important to respond immediately in times of disaster. The procedure for this should be implemented properly. “Western Maharashtra is expected to receive 110 to 119 per cent of rainfall this year. In view of the forecast of excessive rainfall, Sangli and Kolhapur Municipal Corporations should be specially prepared. All the Municipal Corporations in the state should prepare a plan to deal with crises like flash floods. It is necessary to re-map the landslide-prone areas in the state,” he added.

“Considering the incidents that have occurred in the last few years, landslides have occurred even in places that were not in the mapping. Immediate safety measures should be taken at the site of landslides. The District Collector should pay primary attention to this. There are a total of 249 landslide-prone places in Mumbai. All the relevant agencies should take immediate measures in this regard. A mock drill of the material provided for rescue work during disasters should be conducted,” he said in his directive.

CM Fadnavis said that the administration has been working on disaster prevention for the last many years and therefore it should remain vigilant and plan accordingly so that the same disasters do not happen again.

“The Water Resources Department should maintain interstate coordination for the release of water from dams. Such coordination helps in reducing the risk of floods. Also, additional stocks of rations should be provided in places where communication is lost due to landslides or floods. Pregnant women in such areas should be shifted to safe places or hospitals before the disaster, so that no untoward incident occurs. The Electricity Department should check that all its systems are in good condition, updated maps of disaster-prone areas in the state should be given to the Air Force,” he added.

Fadnavis asked the administration to evacuate residents of dangerous buildings.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde suggested that all municipal corporations should clean the drains. Pumps should be installed in places where water accumulates, nets should be installed on hillsides in landslide-prone areas in Mumbai, boards should be put up in dangerous places, and the police should prevent tourists from going to such places.

The representatives of the Army informed that 38 units of the Army will be deployed in it. Also, Chetak and Navy helicopters will be ready, and there will be a hotline of the Navy and BMC. Further, the Indian Air Force, Coast Guard, NDRF, SDRF, Railways, Mumbai Port Trust, JNPT, Power Department, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Mumbai Police also gave information about the preparations made for the monsoon.

--IANS

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