Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde directed all civic bodies in the state to conduct third-party structural audits of dangerous buildings by good engineering institutes instead of relying upon the audit reports obtained by housing societies.
The proactive move will prevent the loss of life, Shinde said at the Sahyadri Guest House here during a meeting on monsoon preparedness of all agencies in the state.
Shinde gave the directive on the structural audit when he was informed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) that it had shifted tenants from 27 of the 226 buildings that were declared unsafe. CM said that the civic bodies should also take care of displaced families’ accommodation so that they agree to evacuate their dilapidated buildings, said the state government in a release.
Representatives from the Coast Guard, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Railways and other bodies made presentations on their monsoon preparedness. Officials from the Army, Navy and Air Force also attended the meeting. As per the release, 18 teams of NDRF, seven of SDRF (State Disaster Response Force), 10 of Navy, and six of Coast Guard are ready and all of them have lifeboats and required equipment. The Indian Air Force has kept two of its helicopters ready to tackle any disaster during the monsoon.
Directing the agencies to use modern technology for search-rescue operations, Shinde said that during this period, all officials should keep their phones on around the clock. The officials of all the agencies, from district or division to state level, should maintain good communication and coordination, he stressed.
The CM asked BMC and railway officials to clear drains to avoid waterlogging on railway tracks so that lakhs of suburban railway passengers in Mumbai can commute hassle-free during the rains. He also asked the BMC to shift those living at landslide-prone locations in Mumbai’s suburban areas and keep schools and multi-purpose halls ready to provide alternative accommodation to the people, besides keeping stock of adequate foodgrains and medicines.
To avoid flood-like situations in Western Maharashtra and Vidarbha, the CM asked the irrigation department to be on alert from the beginning of the monsoon season. They should maintain better coordination with the authorities of Alampatti dam in Karnataka, Sanjay Sarovar in Madhya Pradesh and Medigatti in Telangana, he added.