Mumbai: As torrential rain lashed Mumbai through Sunday night into Monday morning, causing widespread waterlogging and commuter chaos, a heartening act by a traffic constable emerged as the day’s highlight. Amid the flooding, visuals of a Mumbai traffic cop clearing clogged drains on the busy Western Express Highway (WEH) went viral, drawing both praise and criticism from netizens.
Viral Visuals Show Mumbai Traffic Cop Clearing Drain Holes Amid Heavy Rains
The images, shared by the Mumbai Traffic Police on social media, showed on-duty rider Girish Patil removing debris from the footpath drains near the WEH Pump House to ease traffic congestion caused by water accumulation. “To reduce traffic caused by waterlogging at the WEH Pump House, on-duty rider Girish Patil cleared the north-bound footpath drain holes, allowing the water to flow out,” the traffic police stated in their post.
Netizens Praise Traffic Cop, Slam BMC For Not Performing Duty Well
The gesture quickly garnered appreciation online, with many netizens lauding Patil for going beyond his call of duty. However, the incident also sparked outrage against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and its waste management systems, with users pointing out that it should not fall upon traffic police to perform tasks meant for civic authorities.
Check Some Social Media Reactions Here:
Waterlogging Reported In Several Areas, Orange Alert Issued
Mumbai’s western suburbs and South Mumbai bore the brunt of the downpour, with key areas like Andheri, Kurla, Marine Drive and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus witnessing severe waterlogging.
The Andheri subway was shut temporarily due to flooding, while major roads such as LBS Road in Kurla, DP Road in Powai and Saki Naka experienced severe traffic snarls throughout the day. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for Mumbai Suburban, predicting more heavy showers. Thane and Palghar districts remain under a yellow alert.
Local Train Services, Air Travel Hit
The city’s local train network, particularly on the Central and Harbour lines, was also disrupted, with delays affecting thousands of daily commuters. Meanwhile, air travel took a hit as well. IndiGo and SpiceJet issued an advisory asking passengers to leave early for the airport due to waterlogged roads and slow-moving traffic.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport also released a weather alert, urging passengers to check their flight status and plan extra travel time to avoid missing flights.
