JOIN USCyclone Nisarga remains away from Mumbai
India's financial capital of Mumbai was set to be hit by strongest cyclone of the century in its coast but Nisarga seems to have maintained physical distancing. After hitting Raigad, the cyclonic formation moved towards Pune bypassing Mumbai.
The Maharashtra government and its various agencies were in tenterhooks as it would have been a double whammy given the fact that Mumbai is the COVID-19 hotspot of the country.
By clamping section 144 CrPC, the Mumbai police ensured that there is no one on road even as the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) put up its might addressing several calls of uprooting of trees, short-circuits.
As a precautionary measure, road traffic on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link was suspended and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport shut operations for nearly three hours.
The Central Railway, Western Railway and Konkan Railway rescheduled or cancelled several special trains that it is running during lockdown.
"Mumbai, we have survived several storms together. This cyclone shall pass too. As always, just take all necessary precautions, follow the guidelines and don’t believe in any rumours. Trust only official sources. Take care," Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh tweeted.
Donning raincoat, BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal hit the street and inspected several places including pumping stations. Several people from low lying areas and fishermen's colonies were shifted to BMC schools as a precautionary measure.
"Threat for Mumbai is almost over. Rains to continue until tonight but winds will not exceed 50 Kmph. Eye of Cyclone Nisarga has completed landfall," tweeted Mahesh Palawat, vice president, meteorology & climate change, Skymet Weather.
Trees were uprooted and crashed in south Mumbai’s Colaba and Churchgate crushing at least two vehicles, while heavy waves lashed the jetties at Gateway of India, Bhaucha Dhakka, and popular beaches at Girgaum Chowpatty, Dadar, Juhu, Versova, Madh, Marve, Gorai on the city’s west coast.
In Mumbai, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray along with other ministers and officials continuously monitored the unfolding cyclonic situation while his deputy Ajit Pawar called up all coastal district collectors and sought ground reports from them.
Search and Rescue teams of NDRF and SDRF, besides army, navy, air force, coast guard, were on stand by.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Fishermen’s Association President Damodar Tandel said that many fishing villages on the entire coastal belt have suffered huge damages due to the storm.
“As per the latest information, most of our fishing boats were moored safely since the past couple of days," he said. The Mumbai city and suburbs on an average received 40 to 50 mm rainfall.