Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday asked the civic bodies in the state to form their own disaster management teams which would operate as first responders in situations such as landslides or floods during the monsoon
Shinde chaired a meeting of district collectors, divisional commissioners, representatives from the defence forces, railways and police as well as the NDRF and SDRF in Mumbai ahead of the rainy season
"Thane Municipal Corporation has formed its own Thane Disaster Response Force which will be locally stationed. It will be able to reach a disaster site in a short time which could be helpful in rescuing people and saving lives," he told reporters here afterwards
"Similar teams can be formed in every district, as well as by the civic bodies. They can be given training on how to respond to a critical situation," the CM said
As per a statement issued by the chief minister's office, the southwest monsoon is expected to reach Mumbai by June 10 or 11, and cover the entire state in the next four days
Officials have been asked to remove illegal hoardings across the state, and the norms fixed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) can be used while allowing new hoardings elsewhere in the state too, it said
The directive came in the wake of the crash of a hoarding in Ghatkopar here earlier this month, leading to the death of at least 17 persons
As many as 486 spots across the state have been identified as vulnerable to landslides, the CMO statement further said
To deal with floods caused by interstate rivers during the monsoon, a coordination committee of officials of the Maharashtra government as well as those from neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka has been formed, it said
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