To prevent landslides in hilly areas, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will undertake large-scale fencing projects. The civic body will hire expert agencies to carry out the work. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced this initiative after a review meeting on pre-monsoon preparations held on Friday at the civic headquarters in Mumbai.
Shinde noted that certain areas in Mumbai frequently experience landslides during the monsoon. "The civic body will engage expert agencies to fence these hilly areas," Shinde stated.
Mumbai city and its suburbs, including regions near Kurla, Vikhroli, Bhandup, Saki Naka, and Antop Hill, have numerous hilly areas. Landslides in these locations often affect nearby slum pockets, causing casualties and injuries.
According to BMC officials, they recently held a meeting with Central Railways officials, during which they learned about the successful fencing of hilly areas along railway tracks. "The terrain along railway tracks is different from that of hilly areas; however, the model can be replicated in Mumbai to prevent landslides," said an official.
Shinde stressed that the initiative will be limited to Mumbai. "There is no plan to carry out similar work in other parts of the state," he said. He recalled the tragic incident in Irshalwadi, a tribal village in the Raigad district, where 86 villagers died in a landslide. "District administrations across the state have been instructed to relocate people from landslide-prone areas," Shinde added.
At present, the BMC administration has urged slum dwellers in the hilly regions of Vikhroli and Bhandup areas within the 'S' ward jurisdiction to relocate to safer locations. The ward has already issued precautionary notices regarding unsafe buildings and structures in these areas, advising residents to take proactive steps to migrate to safer locales on their own. Residents who opt to stay in these areas without relocating do so at their own risk. The Assistant Commissioner of the Bhandup ward (S) has clarified that BMC will not be responsible for any accidents, loss of life, or financial damages resulting from natural calamities.