Heavy rain in Mumbai, NDRF teams deployed; local train services partially hit
Mumbai (PTI): Heavy rains continued to lash Mumbai on the second consecutive day on Monday, with some areas receiving up to 34 mm of rainfall in just one hour in the morning, affecting local train services during the rush hour between Kalyan and Thakurli stations of the Central Railway network.
In the last 24 hours ended at 8 am, the island city recorded an average of 135 mm of rainfall, eastern Mumbai 154 mm, and western Mumbai 137 mm, officials said.
Three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Mumbai to tackle any situation amid the forecast of a high tide and heavy rains in the city and its suburbs.
In its forecast for the next 24 hours starting at 8 AM on Monday, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted "heavy to very heavy rain in the city and suburbs, with the possibility of extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places."
According to the civic body, a high tide of 4.59 meters is expected at 12.59 PM.
Malabar and Mulund Hill recorded 34 mm of rainfall between 6 am and 7 am, followed by Bhandup with 29 mm, Wadala East with 24 mm, and Versova with 20 mm.
Western Railway stated that local train services were running normally on Monday morning, however, commuters claimed trains were running late by 5 to 10 minutes.
Central Railway also stated that local services on all four corridors were normal. Commuters, however, said train traffic was affected between Kalyan and Thakurli stations in the morning rush hour due to a signal problem.
"Many commuters are walking on the tracks as trains are halted for a long time," a passenger said.
A civic official said buses of Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) were not diverted.
A day earlier, heavy downpours pounded Mumbai and suburbs, inundating roads in many areas, diverting flights, and briefly affecting local train traffic between Dadar and Matunga stations.
The Mithi River, which originates in Sanjay Gandhi National Park and meets the Arabian Sea at Mahim, swelled due to continuous rainfall in Mumbai since Sunday. It was flowing at 1.5 meters on Monday morning, but its flood level reached 2.26 meters Sunday night.
In other parts of Maharashtra, Konkan and Vidarbha regions have been receiving heavy rainfall since the weekend, causing rivers to swell and low-lying areas to submerge. As a result, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed in Mumbai and other parts of the state.
"We have deployed NDRF teams at Vasai (Palghar district), Thane, Ghatkopar and Powai (in Mumbai), Mahad (Raigad), Khed and Chiplun (Ratnagiri), Kudal (Sindhudurg), Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara due to the monsoon season as pre-positioning, apart from three teams in Mumbai and one team in Nagpur as regular deployment," an NDRF official said.
He said teams are on alert for any emergent response at their locations, conducting reconnaissance in low-lying and landslide-prone areas.
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Private bus operators in Karnataka to hike fares by 20-30 pc after fuel price rise
Bengaluru (PTI): In the wake of the hike in fuel prices, private bus operators have decided to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, effective from Friday midnight.
They have also called for government subsidies, a reduction in cess, and lower road taxes to improve the situation.
"The situation for bus owners in the state is already distressing due to high road tax and the impact of the Shakti scheme (free bus travel for women in government buses). On top of this, fuel prices have increased," Karnataka State Bus Owners’ Association President S Nataraj Sharma said.
"This will impose a burden of Rs 15,000 per vehicle per month on bus owners. If an owner has three buses, the burden will be Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 per month," he added.
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Speaking to reporters, he said the situation has made it inevitable for owners to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, under current conditions.
The increase may be roughly Rs 200 per seat, he added.
"For example, the current bus fare from Bengaluru to Belagavi is around Rs 1,000–Rs 1,200, which is likely to rise to Rs 1,350–Rs 1,400. Similarly, fares from Bengaluru to Mangaluru or Udupi currently range from Rs 900–Rs 1,000 and are expected to go up to Rs 1,100–Rs 1,200," he said.
Petrol and diesel prices were each hiked by Rs 3 per litre on Friday, the first rate increase in more than four years, amid mounting losses for fuel retailers due to surging global crude prices in the wake of the West Asia conflict.
The increase comes a couple of weeks after the Assembly elections concluded in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
