The Hindu Business Line : Mumbai residents stoically brave the rain

Although reduced to a shade of its regular bustle, courtesy the Government's instruction that people undertake only essential travel, there seemed some sense of order in how the city tackled today's rains.

Flights were also operating at the airport. From 12 midnight till around 6 p.m. today, there had been 225 aircraft movements, which was quite close to the normal, Mr Sudhir Kumar, Airport Director, said.

The Instrument Landing System (ILS) was functioning on both runways and visibility was 1,500 metres. The strength of continued operations however remains subject to weather conditions.

The RBI's market and clearing related operations were functioning normally and MTNL had managed to restore landline and mobile services in most areas. Services to Vakola (Santa-Cruz East), Kurla West, Diva and Riverwood Park near Dombivli would be normalised in next 48 hours.

Against the citywide breakdown that happened with the cloudburst of July 26, specific low-lying areas continued to be victims of flooding.

Elsewhere, life stayed wet but in a quiet shutdown mode. Shops in many areas were closed. Showers through Sunday night grew particularly strong by early morning raising fears of a repeat of last Tuesday. . As expected the main three railway lines were hit, with shuttle trains and irregular services reported from the Harbour and Central lines and late running on the Western. For a while, there was a modest flow of commuters braving the rains to reach Nariman Point offices. As the rains continued, news came in of fresh flooding in the suburbs.Towards afternoon, South Mumbai offices were told to close by 2 p.m., a move that must have helped in further curtailing the commuter flow. With the city portraying a pale shadow of its regular self, a deceptive efficiency visited intra-city movement by road. BEST buses plied in modest numbers with very few people on board.

At around 3 p.m., it was a clear drive from Churchgate along a route that touched VT, Parel, King Circle, Dadar, the outskirts of Kurla, Mankhurd, Chembur, Sion, Dharavi, Kala Nagar entrance in Bandra East, the domestic airport and Mahim.

Despite its severely potholed status, the Western Express highway and its comparatively less damaged eastern counterpart appeared clear of water logging.For the record, the nallah along the western highway remained filled to the brim and the Mithi River at its outlet in Mahim flowed just shy of the road and rail tracks. But in a strategic sense, entry and exit to the domestic airport and its access along the two key highways appeared for the moment, secure (late evening the police confirmed that roads to the international airport were also clear).

Last Tuesday, there was serious flooding on both these roads.

Some of the worst flooded residential areas including Kalina and Kurla, which continued to be partially submerged, fall in suburbs tucked between these two key highways. There have been reports of acute resentment to the Government inaction from these places, Kurla for instance, being without power for almost a week.

Till 4 p.m., Indian Airlines (IA) had operated 13 departures and 12 arrivals, a total of 25 flights against its regular lot of 47-48 flights in each category. IA had originally planned to operate 30 departures and 30 arrivals. Air India flights were operating but with delay, cascading from the larger dislocations that occurred last week. "Things will normalise tomorrow,'' an official said.

Singapore Airlines also informed that it would be operating two day-time flights into and out of the city.

"The airline will also in the course of the day review decision on resumption of its night flights that will allow a return to its normal schedule to/from Mumbai,'' an official statement said.

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