Heavy rains disrupt Maharashtra Assembly; opposition slams govt over casualties

Heavy rain disrupted the Maharashtra Assembly, leading to an adjournment as the opposition attacked the government. The clash sharpened focus on rain-related deaths, civic preparedness and worsening monsoon damage in Mumbai.

In Short

• Fadnavis asked citizens to stay alert and avoid unnecessary travel
• Rescue teams worked on a war footing as 350 trees fell
• An unauthorised Mumbai building collapsed and expressway traffic was disrupted

Heavy rain and strong winds disrupted proceedings in the Maharashtra Assembly on Monday, forcing Speaker Rahul Narwekar to adjourn the House for the day as the Opposition launched a sharp attack on the state government over rain-related deaths and alleged civic failures in Mumbai.

The adjournment came amid relentless monsoon showers that have battered several parts of the state, causing widespread flooding, tree falls, transport disruptions and infrastructure damage.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis urged citizens to remain alert and avoid unnecessary travel, warning that weather conditions could worsen through the afternoon with wind speeds expected to reach 70–80 kmph in parts of the state.

Addressing the Assembly, Fadnavis said rescue and disaster response agencies were working on a war footing to tackle the situation. He said nearly 350 trees had been uprooted on Monday alone and attributed the extreme weather to changing natural climate patterns.

The Chief Minister also informed the House that an unauthorised building had collapsed in Mumbai, while a landslide near the Missing Link project on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway had disrupted traffic. He said the government would present a detailed report on the situation in the Assembly on Tuesday.

OPPOSITION TARGETS GOVT

The Opposition, however, accused the government of failing to prevent rain-related fatalities and improve civic preparedness despite repeated warnings.

Leader of the Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar demanded accountability from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over the deaths reported in Mumbai during the ongoing monsoon spell.

Congress MLA Amin Patel sought compensation of 25 lakh for the families of those who lost their lives, while Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Ajay Choudhary urged the government to immediately identify and remove dangerous trees posing a risk to commuters.

Outside the Assembly, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Varun Sardesai also criticised the government's handling of the situation, alleging that administrative failures had worsened the impact of the heavy rains in Mumbai.

Targeting the city's civic administration, Sardesai mocked the Mumbai Mayor as a "Reel Mayor", claiming the administration was more focused on social media than governance on the ground.

Heavy rainfall has continued to affect Mumbai and several other parts of Maharashtra over the past two days, leading to widespread waterlogging, disruption of suburban rail services, flight delays, road closures and multiple incidents of tree falls and structural damage. The India Meteorological Department has forecast continued heavy rainfall across parts of the state over the coming days.

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