Mumbai

Opposition legislators on Monday staged a protest on the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai, raising slogans that "Inframan" had gone missing and accusing the Maharashtra government of failing to protect people amid heavy rains.

They said the heavy downpour over the past few days exposed "crumbling infrastructure" across Mumbai and other parts of the state.

Senior Congress leaders Satej Patil and Vijay Wadettiwar, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Ambadas Danve and other Opposition members participated in the demonstration, alleging that poor infrastructure management had severely affected the lives of common people during the ongoing spell of heavy rain.

The legislators, without taking any names, raised slogans claiming that "Inframan" had disappeared, while accusing the government of endangering the lives of Mumbaikars because of failing infrastructure.

They also shouted slogans saying that Mumbai had come to a standstill after the very first spell of rain, and hit out at the government over deaths linked to open manholes and other civic infrastructure failures.

Meanwhile, NCP (SP) Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to issue a detailed statement on the Missing Link project on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

Traffic on both the Pune-Mumbai Expressway and the old Pune-Mumbai highway was suspended on Monday following heavy rainfall, flooding and landslides.

According to the police, the Pune-Mumbai Expressway was closed between the Connecting Link and Missing Link sections after a concrete pillar fell on the carriageway.

The Mumbai-Pune Expressway Missing Link, opened two months ago, is a 13-km bypass that cuts through the Sahyadri mountains, reducing travel distance by 6 km and shaving 25 to 30 minutes off the commute

"The chief minister should make a proper statement. Was there a thorough assessment of the Missing Link bridge and how much problem it may face during heavy rainfall? I appeal to the chief minister to make a statement about it as soon as possible," Sule told reporters.

The NCP (SP) leader said she would not comment on allegations of corruption at this stage but maintained that the actual cost of the project should be made public.

Public anger over the disruption was justified, she said, alleging that despite the government's focus on infrastructure, a single spell of heavy rain had paralysed the state.

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"Connectivity between Mumbai and Pune has been affected. There is no certainty whether MLAs can reach Mumbai to attend the legislative session. All three roads -- Tamhini Ghat, the old Mumbai-Pune highway and the Missing Link on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway -- are closed. This is just the beginning of the monsoon, and it has already affected the state," Sule said.