MUMBAI, Aug. 13 -- Congress leader in the BMC, Ashraf Azmi, has urged municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide to order an immediate safety and technical audit of Mumbai's hilly, sloping and landslide-prone areas following the landslide at Gausia Chawl in Chirag Nagar, Ghatkopar, on Wednesday. In a letter to Bhide, Azmi underlined that Mumbai has several settlements on hill slopes. He demanded an independent assessment of these settlements by a committee comprising experts including engineers and geologists to determine whether construction and other development activities are compromising terrain stability and public safety. Landslides should not be treated merely as a consequence of heavy rainfall; potential risks need to be identified and preventive measures taken, the letter states. The Congress has also demanded a review of development and other work undertaken over the last few years in landslide-prone areas, including Chirag Nagar, along with complaints submitted by residents and elected representatives and whether action was taken on these complaints.. The letter suggested that the BMC compile a settlement-wise list of families living in extremely hazardous locations so that they could be temporarily evacuated, if needed, and long-term rehabilitation measures planned. He also proposed a special 'Mumbai Hilly and Landslide-Prone Areas Safety Audit' campaign, where vulnerable locations are assigned a risk level, with the report specifying remedial measures required, the department responsible for implementing them, and a deadline for completion. The findings should be placed in the public domain, he added. In his letter Azmi referred to the Maharashtra government's Hill Station Policy of 1996, which provides a regulatory framework for developing hill stations, tourist resorts, holiday homes and townships in hilly areas....