Mumbai rains: 'Allow work from home, otherwise...,' says Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis amid IMD's red alert

Amid heavy rain in Mumbai, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis warned private companies and commercial establishments to allow their employees to work from home on a humanitarian basis.

He also warned them of strict legal action if they don't comply with the government directives under the Disaster Management Act. He also appealed to the citizens not to travel unless it is essential.

Fadnavis said that district administrations and emergency teams have been instructed to remain on standby 24 hours a day. NDRF and SDRF teams have also been deployed in highly sensitive areas. 

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority on Monday advised private offices in the city to allow work from home wherever possible and said non-essential government offices would observe a half-day.

The advisory came after the India Meteorological Department issued a red alert for Mumbai, warning of extremely heavy rainfall and gusty winds. Authorities asked people to avoid unnecessary travel, stay indoors unless essential and follow official advisories.

Maharashtra Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan appealed to people not to step out unless necessary and asked Opposition parties not to politicise the situation. He said announcements on the closure of offices, schools and colleges would follow. He also said it would take another three to four days of rain to significantly improve water levels in dams across the state.

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Fadnavis previously said heavy rain was expected to continue till July 8 and warned of a possible cloudburst-like spell in parts of Nashik on Tuesday. He said the state machinery had been put on high alert and urged citizens to stay off the roads as authorities dealt with landslides, swollen rivers and rescue operations.

Rain also disrupted travel on the Mumbai-Pune corridor. A traffic police official told ANI that accumulated water and debris near the Pune Expressway had been cleared and the road had been reopened for vehicular traffic. Police said traffic movement was being managed and vehicles could be diverted to the old route if needed.

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However, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation said restoration work was still under way on the Mumbai-Pune National Highway and the Yashwantrao Chavan Mumbai-Pune Expressway, and advised people to avoid Mumbai-Pune travel if possible. Earlier, Pune traffic authorities had closed roads from Pune to Mumbai because of landslides and waterlogging. A landslide was also reported near Tunnel No. 40 on the Mumbai-Pune railway route.

Fadnavis also said some stretches of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Expressway had been closed after water accumulated at construction sites. He said major rivers, including the Savitri, were above danger level and landslides had badly affected traffic.