Flights were cancelled, Metro services were suspended, vehicles were stranded and waterlogging submerged most of West Bengal on Tuesday as heavy rain battered the state ahead of Durga Puja celebrations. A heavy rain alert is in place for Bengal till Friday, September 26, a bulletin from the India Meteorological Department said earlier.
“In view of the above low-pressure area, widespread light to moderate rainfall with isolated heavy to heavy rainfall is very likely over south of Bengal,” the IMD earlier said.
Besides, schools were closed two days ahead of schedule for the Durga Puja celebrations and colleges were asked to hold classes online after directions from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
All government-run educational institutions would remain closed on September 24 and 25, education minister Bratya Basu had announced.
Rain cripples Kolkata ahead of Pujo
Kolkata witnessed the heaviest rain in nearly four decades on Tuesday, crippling daily life and commute, and seriously jeopardising preparations for the Durga Puja festivities. According to IMD officials, it rained at 98mm per hour, barely shy of the 100mm an hour threshold for a cloudburst.
At least 11 people were killed in the downpour over a six-hour period in the city. Some flights were delayed, others cancelled, rail ops also took a hit and huge traffic was witnessed on roads in the city on Tuesday.
{{/usCountry}}At least 11 people were killed in the downpour over a six-hour period in the city. Some flights were delayed, others cancelled, rail ops also took a hit and huge traffic was witnessed on roads in the city on Tuesday.
{{/usCountry}}Water gushed into people’s homes and apartments, metro and local train services took a hit and some of Kolkata’s most famous outdoor puja pandals were also damaged.
Metro rail, flight ops hit
Daily commute and travel was the worst-affected as rain pounded Kolkata on Tuesday. Waterlogging on Kolkata Metro's Blue Line (Dakshineswar to Shahid Khudiram stations) led to service disruptions on some sections, and suburban train ops in the Sealdah South, Sealdah North, and main lines were also impacted.
At Howrah and Kolkata stations, train services faced partial delays due to waterlogged tracks.
Flight operations were heavily disrupted on Tuesday, with over 90 cancellations and an equal number of delays by evening. According to PTI, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport saw 42 incoming and 49 outgoing flights cancelled.
What Mamata Banerjee said
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed shock at the intensity of the rain and the damage caused by it. “I have never seen rain like this. Ten people have died, of whom nine due to electrocution by open or unattended wires. Eight people died in Kolkata and two others in adjoining areas of Shashan in North 24 Parganas and Amtala in South 24 Parganas,” chief minister Mamata Banerjee said.
Another succumbed to electrocution in Narendrapur, on the southern outskirts of Kolkata on Tuesday evening, taking the toll to 11.
Banerjee also announced that state-run educational institutions, set to declare Durga Puja holidays starting September 26, would be shut two days prior, from Wednesday.