The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, expressed grief over the loss of lives and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives and Rs 50,000 to those injured. On the other hand, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced financial aid of Rs 5 lakh to each of the families of the deceased in the Chembur, Vikhroli and Bhandup landslides; and free treatment to those injured.
Thackeray, who expressed grief over the casualties, directed the concerned agencies to be vigilant, especially in the wake of a forecast of more heavy rains. The CM also said that he would undertake relief work after the tragic incident. He asked the administration to shift people residing along Mithi river and at the same time asked the civic body to take due care of patients at the Covid jumbo centres.
The CM also asked the civic body to clear water-logging on a war footing and streamline traffic. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar asked the district disaster management agencies to be alert and work in coordination, amid heavy rainfall. He urged citizens to follow safety rules and contact the police and disaster management agency for help in the wake of any tragedy.
The Mumbai suburban district guardian minister Aaditya Thackeray, who visited three sites, said relief work was going on and all necessary financial and medical assistance was being provided by the state government and the BMC. “I visited the 3 locations where the landslides took place. The rains were so heavy that it broke the retaining walls of the homes. Relief work is on and all necessary financial and medical assistance is being provided by the state government and the BMC,” he said.
He added, “Last night, the city faced extreme heavy rainfall, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Some parts of the city received over 200 mm rainfall in a span of just three hours. These were mini cloudbursts in a short span.”
Aaditya said that the BMC, fire brigade and National Disaster Response Force worked throughout the night to evacuate and rescue people residing near Mithi river, after the water levels breached dangerous levels. Apart from mini pumps, the BMC’s pumping stations pumped out 4423.50 million litres of water.
