108mm rain exposes Thane's monsoon preparedness as roads, homes go under water

THANE: The tall claims of the Thane municipal administration to ensure the city remained afloat during the rains got washed away in the first few days of heavy downpour as several low-lying areas and highways got submerged in water on Wednesday.The city recorded 108mm rainfall since Wednesday midnight which was enough to inundate homes in the low lying Bhanjewadi areas while around six trees toppled in various parts of the city damaging property.Vehicular traffic remained affected as arterial roads like Mumbra Panvel and Ghodbunder highways and the service roads along the Eastern Express highways remained waterlogged. Potholes were reported on a few roads.Activists lashed out at the administration for failing to keep the city afloat in the first few days of monsoon and questioned the fate of the city during heavy rains.Following a huge tree that collapsed blocking the service lane at Teen Haath naka, activist Kiran Nakti said he had been pursuing for an audit of trees in the area ahead of the rains claiming the ongoing infra work was steadily loosening the stability of age old trees making them prone to collapse in the rains.

Meanwhile, Mayor Sharmila Pimplolkar conducted a site visit to affected areas in Talao Pali, Vandana Talkies, Jambhli naka which exposed the shortcomings in the monsoon preparedness of the administration as either drains were not cleared or pumps were found inoperative or staff missing to operate them.The Mayor warned the administration against future negligence and ordered immediate corrective action.