Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde promises Swiss-style nets to stop killer landslides in Mumbai

MUMBAI: CM Eknath Shinde along with municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani visited the Asalpha hill slope in Ghatkopar (West) on Wednesday and inspected the high-end safety net installed at the landslide-prone area.
Shinde said a landslide-free city would be ensured by installing the Swiss technique safety nets at 31 landslide-prone spots in the city, similar to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.Shinde said the installation of the Swiss technique safety nets in the landslide-prone areas was a step in the right direction and similar measures should be taken in other high-risk areas of the city.
The Ghatkopar-Kurla stretch is the most landslide-prone part of the city. In the past, this stretch has seen several lanslides leading to the death of slum-dwellers. During the monsoon, the situation worsens and the BMC advises slum-dwellers to shift to alternative locations for their safety after issuing notices. Often the slum-dwellers in these high-risk areas refuse to move out due to a lack of resources and seek alternative housing from the govt.
“For the first time we are implementing an advanced safety net technique experiment in the city which will help to avoid serious incidents. I am concerned about the lives of thousands of families living on hill slopes. I asked for the implementation of a similar safety net at other 31 landslides-prone areas of the city during the monsoon as it is a matter of saving lives,” Shinde said.
In April, a landslide occurred near Himalaya Society in Ghatkopar (West) after a boulder weighing about 12 kg from the hillside adjoining the society came loose and fell beyond the retaining wall, close to a slum settlement. No one was injured in the incident and about a dozen huts were vacated as a precautionary step.
A few kilometres away, an SRA building, Lotus in Ghatkopar (East) has developed a crack because of adjoining construction work. The residents informed the SRA and BMC authorities, who asked them to conduct a structural audit. Residents said they were from poor backgrounds and had no option but to live in the building till the authorities provided some solution.
“The builder is executing digging work for parking at the adjoining plot and it caused the crack in our building, and the compound is also caved in,” a resident, Yogesh Madkholkar, said. “The building has no access road. We residents are fearing for our lives but have no option to live in the building.”