How is the Maha Minister ensuring monsoon preparedness?

Mumbai, May 31 (NationPress) Mumbai Suburban District Guardian Minister Ashish Shelar on Saturday urged the Railways, BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Disaster Management Teams, and the police to refrain from the blame game and ensure the swift and collaborative completion of all pre-monsoon preparations.

He emphasized that any form of blame shifting will not be tolerated, as the priority should be on prompt, coordinated efforts to guarantee uninterrupted railway services and public safety throughout the monsoon.

Minister Shelar took a local train from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Bhandup and personally inspected the Central Railway tracks at various locations to assess the status of drain cleaning and pumping systems.

His directives aimed to ensure that residents of Mumbai do not encounter difficulties during the forthcoming monsoon.

He led a joint high-level coordination meeting at the Western Railway headquarters in Churchgate, attended by senior officials from both the Central and Western Railways, the BMC, Mumbai Police, Railway Police, MHADA, SRA, and other essential departments. The focus was on the drain-cleaning and monsoon preparedness measures within the railway limits.

After the meeting, Shelar traveled by suburban local train and conducted site inspections at Masjid, Sandhurst Road, and Byculla, stepping onto the tracks to check on drain cleaning efforts.

He also evaluated pumping systems set up at Sion station and other critical locations including Kurla, Vikhroli, Bhandup, and Kanjurmarg.

Minister Shelar reported that out of 812 culverts on the Central Railway, cleaning has been completed for 750. The remaining culverts need to be cleared as soon as possible.

Of the 637 hazardous trees near the railway lines, trimming has been accomplished for 550 trees; the remaining branches must be pruned without delay.

Last year, the Central Railway installed 96 pumps at flood-prone sites. This year, the number has risen to 177.

Shelar instructed that timely testing of all these pumps be ensured.

“The Railway administration has placed flood monitoring systems at approximately 36 locations, including five automatic digital sensors and 12 manual gauges. Coordination between these systems and the BMC’s Disaster Management Department is vital. While the Railways monitor rainfall and water accumulation on tracks, the BMC manages pumping and drainage through stormwater lines and nullahs. Consequently, senior officials from both departments have been instructed to guarantee seamless collaboration,” he stated.

Minister Shelar noted that the BMC has identified 24 buildings within the Masjid-Sandhurst Road railway jurisdiction as dangerous, adding that he will inform the Chief Minister and Railway Minister about the situation and urge them to take necessary actions and issue directives to senior officials.

He also gave instructions to ensure coordination between administrative bodies managing stormwater drains outside Marine Lines and railway areas, especially those involved in the Coastal Road project.

“In the event of train delays due to heavy rainfall at railway stations, resulting in overcrowding and chaos among commuters, local railway police should collaborate with the BMC’s Disaster Management Department. Given that even a three-minute train delay can lead to crowd build-up, a disaster response plan should be established, which also incorporates BEST buses for emergency transportation support. Both Central and Western Railway stations must implement this contingency measure,” he articulated.