The recent rain-related deaths in Mumbai exposed the failure of the Maharashtra government and civic administration to protect people, Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar alleged on Monday.
Referring to the collapse of a chawl (row tenement) in Mankhurd on Sunday that claimed six lives, Wadettiwar said it was not an isolated accident but the result of negligence in dealing with old and dangerous structures.
The government must explain whether the building had been declared unsafe and, if so, why residents were not shifted to a safer place, he said in a statement.
Ten persons lost their lives in Mumbai in the last six days in rain-related incidents, including deaths caused by a house collapse, falling trees and open manholes, the Congress leader noted.
People should not have to pay with their lives because of administrative lapses, he said.
Wadettiwar demanded strict action against those responsible and said the government should go beyond announcing inquiries and compensation.
He urged the authorities to immediately conduct safety audits of dilapidated buildings and ensure effective measures to prevent such tragedies during the monsoon.
Two persons died in tree collapse incidents in Mumbai over the last two days, while an 11-year-old boy was killed after a tree uprooted and fell onto a moving school bus on June 30.
Six persons were killed after a chawl collapsed in Mumbai's Mankhurd area on Sunday.
(With inputs from PTI)