Bombay HC says citizens share responsibility for Mumbai flooding issues.
Court highlights encroachments, clogged drains and public infrastructure misuse.
Mumbai rains disrupt transport as IMD issues orange alert warning. Heavy rainfall causes landslides, deaths and disruptions across Maharashtra.
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday observed that citizens cannot hold the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) solely responsible for Mumbai's recurring monsoon flooding, saying encroachments, clogged drains and misuse of public infrastructure have contributed to the problem.
The observations were made by Acting Chief Justice R V Ghuge while hearing a public interest litigation concerning the widening of a road near the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), as the city continued to recover from two days of heavy rain that brought normal life to a standstill.
"We are destined to see rainwater on roads. We cannot help it. We have an uncanny knack for grabbing lands. We block the gutters. One small spell of rain blocks the roads. It is our own creation," the Acting Chief Justice observed.
He further remarked that public infrastructure was routinely misused.
"The Corporation gave us footpaths, we started having pav bhaji stalls on them. Our habit is to rob our own motherland," he said.
As per Indian Express, appearing for the BMC, Senior Advocate Milind Sathe submitted that the civic body had removed encroachments along the existing 30-foot-wide road and felled nearly 192 trees as part of the proposed widening project.
However, the remaining land required to widen the road to 50 feet belongs to the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), which oversees the adjoining Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, he said.
Sathe submitted that if the BARC wanted the road to be widened, it should provide the encroachment-free land required for the project.
"It seems the BARC does not want the road to be widened," he argued.
The court observed that the DAE would have to take a decision on making the additional land available. Sathe further submitted that if the DAE and its Directorate of Construction, Services and Estate Management agreed to hand over the land, a decision could be taken on widening the road from 30 feet to 50 feet.
The High Court issued notice to the DAE and posted the matter for further hearing later this month.
The observations came as Mumbai witnessed widespread disruption following heavy rainfall over the past two days. Although rainfall eased on Tuesday morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) retained an orange alert for the city, forecasting heavy rain at isolated places accompanied by gusty winds of up to 70 kmph.
As a precaution, all government, private and civic-run schools and colleges in Mumbai remained closed on Tuesday.
According to the BMC, the island city recorded 46 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8 am on Tuesday, while the eastern and western suburbs received 77 mm and 78 mm respectively.
Suburban rail services gradually returned to normal after flooding on the Virar-Vasai section receded. However, Western Railway services continued to run with delays of 20 to 25 minutes, while Central Railway trains were delayed by 10 to 15 minutes. Metro services and BEST buses operated normally.
Elsewhere in Maharashtra, heavy rain continued to cause damage. Four persons, including three members of a family, were killed in separate landslide and wall-collapse incidents in Pune district on Monday. More than 500 people were rescued or shifted to safer places after landslides were reported from 22 locations across the district.
Traffic on the Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway's Missing Link resumed late on Monday night after remaining suspended for more than 18 hours following a landslide near Tunnel 2.
The IMD has warned of further spells of heavy rain across Mumbai and adjoining districts over the coming days, with authorities advising people to remain cautious in low-lying and landslide-prone areas.
