There are many ways the city gears up for the rains
There are many ways the city gears up for the rains. On an individual level, Mumbaikars pull their rain gear out of the mothballs. Bikers and motorists ideally should get their vehicles checked, especially the brakes, given their importance on rain-slicked roads. Commercial establishments have already started putting plastic awnings and sheeting in place, to protect potential customers from the impending torrent.
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Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has declared at least nine buildings in the city as extremely dangerous structures in its annual pre-monsoon survey, and has asked the residents to evacuate immediately.
The housing minister said first they will try to persuade residents to move to the numerous transit camps they have set up. If they refuse to do so, officials will have to use force to send them out.
One does agree that transit camps are not ideal living conditions. It is immensely difficult to pack up your bags and your life, essentially. Yet, nothing is worth a risk to your life. If the authorities have deemed the building dangerous, it is wiser to move out. Yet, there is a tendency to risk life and limb, leave everything to God and adopt a fatalistic attitude. This is dangerous thinking.
The housing authorities must see that repairs to these buildings are undertaken in double quick time, so residents can return home. This has failed to happen in many cases, and is the reason why there is a trust deficit between the authorities and residents. Many fear that once they leave their accommodation they will never be able to return. The only way to make this work is to prove to the residents that this will only keep them safe and not render them homeless.
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