06 July,2026 01:06 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Congress legislature party leader Vijay Wadettiwar. File Photo
Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Monday raised concerns in the Maharashtra Assembly over several rain-related incidents reported in Mumbai and other parts of the state and demanded a detailed inquiry into the incidents.
Wadettiwar alleged that the recent deaths caused by heavy rainfall exposed gaps in preparedness and disaster management measures. He demanded that responsibility be fixed and strict action be taken against those found responsible.
Speaking in the Assembly, Wadettiwar said several unfortunate incidents had occurred during the ongoing spell of heavy rainfall, leading to the loss of lives. He referred to incidents involving building collapses, tree falls and open manholes.
He said citizens should not lose their lives due to administrative failures and called for immediate steps to prevent similar incidents during the monsoon.
Wadettiwar said the incidents have raised serious questions over whether adequate preventive measures were taken before the monsoon.
He said several tragedies could have been prevented if measures such as identifying unsafe buildings, trimming dangerous trees, securing manholes, improving drainage networks and preparing emergency response systems had been implemented effectively.
"The responsibility for negligence behind these incidents must be fixed," Wadettiwar said.
Referring to the Mankhurd structure collapse that claimed six lives, he said authorities must clarify whether the building had been declared unsafe earlier and, if so, why residents were not moved to a safer location.
The Congress leader alleged that the recent rain-related deaths reflected the failure of the state government and civic administration to ensure public safety.
According to Wadettiwar, 10 people have died in Mumbai in the last six days in rain-related incidents, including deaths caused by a house collapse, falling trees and open manholes.
He urged the government to go beyond announcing inquiries and compensation and focus on preventive measures.
Wadettiwar demanded immediate safety audits of old and dangerous buildings and stronger action plans to avoid such incidents during heavy rainfall.
The Congress leader also raised concerns over disruptions caused by a landslide near the Mumbai-Pune corridor.
He said traffic movement on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway was affected following a landslide near the Missing Link project area. He added that the disruption also impacted the old Mumbai-Pune highway and railway movement in the ghat section.
According to Wadettiwar, thousands of passengers faced inconvenience due to the disruption.
Wadettiwar demanded that the state government issue an official statement explaining the situation, steps being taken and future measures planned to prevent such incidents.
He called for a high-level inquiry into all rain-related incidents, identification of responsible officials and agencies, and strict action against those found guilty.
