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NEW DELHI: The dense rainfall, which is among the heaviest successful astir 4 decades, has crippled the lives of radical successful Kolkata, shutting down transport modes, institutions, and forcing the authorities to state puja holidays 2 days successful advance.
Overnight rainfall that began past midnight caused roads to submerge, starring to h2o entering galore houses and residential complexes successful the city. The metropolis is preparing for further downpours arsenic the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that a low-pressure country implicit the northeast Bay of Bengal is apt to bring dense rainfall to respective southbound Bengal districts.
Eight radical dice of electrocution
Eight radical owed to electrocution and bringing beingness successful the metropolis to a grinding halt arsenic ample swathes were submerged, transport services crippled, and postulation question thrown retired of gear. "At slightest 8 persons person died owed to electrocution, arsenic per our reports truthful far," a elder authoritative of Kolkata constabulary said.
Mamata blames dredging, CESC
Chief curate Mamata Banerjee described the downpour arsenic "unprecedented", blaming mediocre dredging of the Farakka barrage and lapses by backstage powerfulness inferior CESC for the deaths, portion appealing to radical to enactment indoors. "I person ne'er seen rainfall similar this. I heard 7–8 radical person died owed to electrocution by unfastened oregon unattended wires.
It is truthful unfortunate… Their families indispensable each beryllium fixed jobs by the CESC. I americium saying this clearly," Banerjee told a Bengali quality channel. Squarely blaming the utility, she said, "Electricity is supplied by CESC, not us. It is their work to guarantee radical bash not endure due to the fact that of this. They volition bash concern here, but not modernise here? They should nonstop radical to the tract and hole this."
Will inaugurate Durga Puja virtually: Mamata Banerjee
CM Mamata Banerjee, looking astatine the situation, has decided to not be the Durga puja inauguration alternatively se volition spell virtually. In a station connected X, the West Bengal CM said, " I volition not be immoderate Durga Puja inaugurations successful Kolkata today. Pujas successful the districts volition beryllium inaugurated virtually. Everyone indispensable stay precise cautious implicit the adjacent fewer days."
She besides shared the power country numbers and said that it has been opened astatine Nabanna. Phone numbers: +91-33-22143526 / +91-33-22535185. In addition, toll-free number: +91-8697981070.
Sixth highest single-day rainfall successful past 117 years
The deluge—251.4 mm successful little than 24 hours—was the highest since 1988 and the sixth highest single-day rainfall successful the past 117 years, lone down the grounds 369.6 mm successful 1978 and 253 mm successful 1988. It turned arterial roads into rivers, snapping Metro and bid services and throwing aerial question into disarray arsenic the metropolis gasped for normalcy up of Durga Puja adjacent week.The IMD said the rainfall strength was highest successful southbound and eastbound Kolkata. Garia Kamdahari recorded 332 mm successful a fewer hours, followed by Jodhpur Park (285 mm), Kalighat (280 mm), Topsia (275 mm) and Ballygunge (264 mm). North Kolkata’s Thanthania recorded 195 mm.
30 flights cancelled, metro services hit
At slightest 30 flights has been cancelled and important delays successful respective others, officials said. At Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport successful Kolkata, aggregate flights were grounded owed to adverse upwind conditions, with authorities citing incessant rains and restricted visibility arsenic cardinal information concerns."At slightest 30 flights person been cancelled truthful far, and 31 others person been delayed," an authoritative of Kolkata Airport said.The concern was exacerbated by the suspension of Kolkata Metro services connected a important agelong of the Blue Line, with stations successful flooded areas remaining closed.Metro services were suspended betwixt Shahid Khudiram and Maidan stations since morning, with truncated runs lone connected the Dakshineswar–Maidan stretch. Eastern Railway halted question successful the Sealdah southbound section, portion skeletal services were attempted successful the northbound and main sections.
Circular Railway services were suspended owed to waterlogging astatine Chitpur yard. Air question was besides deed hard.
State govt declares Puja vacations successful schools 2 days successful advance
The West Bengal authorities connected Tuesday declared Puja holidays successful state-run acquisition institutions 2 days up of schedule. State acquisition curate Bratya Basu announced that each govt-run acquisition institutions would stay closed connected September 24 and 25. "An unprecedented calamity-like concern prevails successful the state.
In keeping with the proposal of the main curate to connection alleviation to our students successful the existent concern and to pre-empt accidents, it has been decided to support each acquisition institutions closed time and the time after, that is, connected September 24 and 25," Basu wrote connected X.
Basu requested that during this calamity, each teachers and non-teaching unit attached to the acquisition assemblage enactment from location to implicit their urgent and unfinished tasks. "Since the Durga Puja holidays are scheduled to commencement from September 26, efficaciously the abrogation volition commencement from time (Wednesday). I privation each blessed Pujas. My deepest condolences stay with the adjacent of kin of my chap citizens who mislaid their lives successful this calamity," the curate added.
Political slugfest breaks retired betwixt BJP and TMC
The flooding triggered a governmental quality connected societal media betwixt the BJP, the state's main opposition, and its ruling dispensation, the Trinamool Congress. The saffron enactment posted pictures and videos of waterlogged Kolkata streets connected its societal media accounts, accusing the TMC-run Kolkata Municipal Corporation of indulging successful corruption. In response, the ruling enactment criticised the BJP for "weaponising symptom to dispersed hate." A station connected the X grip of the BJP's Bengal unit, referring to a video of the thoroughly waterlogged Maniktala country successful northbound Kolkata, stated: "Durga Pujo celebrations are starting this week.
Yet, owed to Kolkata's highly mediocre drainage system, Puja pandals are submerged nether water. Years of anarchy nether the CPI(M) and astir 15 years of corruption successful the Kolkata Municipal Corporation nether TMC person forced Bengalis to endure adjacent during their biggest festival, Durga Puja.
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Another BJP post, featuring a video clip of the inundated Science City country successful eastbound Kolkata, equated the nationalist distress to a "lack of business" successful the state.
The station read: "See the information of Kolkata astir Science City. This is 1 of the state's highly acclaimed and posh regions that houses a fewer organisations. If specified is the information of civilian lives, however tin anyone deliberation astir surviving a sustainable beingness successful Kolkata? How tin immoderate organisation further person the intent to invest? This is simply a breakdown of civilian order.
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CU, JU suspend world activities owed to dense rains
Calcutta University (CU) and Jadavpur University (JU) suspended each world activities connected Tuesday arsenic torrential overnight rainfall paralysed mean beingness successful Kolkata. In a statement, the CU Registrar said that owed to dense overnight rainfall and waterlogging successful antithetic parts of Kolkata, the scheduled semester exams successful assorted subjects for Tuesday (September 23) person been cancelled. "The dates erstwhile the exams volition beryllium held volition beryllium announced later," the announcement said. JU, successful a notice, stated that owed to dense downpour connected Monday midnight and aboriginal Tuesday, each world activities are being suspended for the day.
IMD warns of much dense rain
The upwind bureau has warned of much dense rainfall successful Purba and Paschim Medinipur, South 24 Parganas, Jhargram and Bankura districts till Wednesday. Another caller low-pressure country is expected to signifier implicit the Bay of Bengal astir September 25."This rainfall is truthful unusual. Even our homes are submerged. I consciousness atrocious for the Pujo pandals arsenic well. Schools person been asked to stay unopen and office-goers advised to enactment location contiguous and tomorrow," Banerjee said, adding she was successful changeless interaction with the Mayor, Chief Secretary and police.
Several places inundated nether knee-deep h2o and postulation paralysed
For lakhs of residents, Tuesday dawned to a metropolis nether siege by water. In southbound Kolkata's Garia and Jodhpur Park, residents stepped retired of homes to find knee-to-waist-deep h2o successful surviving rooms, crushed floors and shops. Many frantically shifted furnishings to precocious floors, portion traders astatine Gariahat and College Street tried successful vain to salvage soaked stocks of books, garments and electronics. Motorcycles and cars bobbed similar abandoned boats, buses broke down mid-way and commuters trudged barefoot done filthy floodwaters clutching their belongings implicit their heads. "I had to locomotion astir 3 kilometres successful waist-deep h2o from Lake Gardens to Rashbehari Avenue. I don't cognize however I volition get backmost home," said office-goer Rupa Chatterjee. Those stranded successful app cabs complained of exorbitant surge fares, portion galore others waited for hours successful vain astatine autobus stops. "Autos refused to ply, cabs demanded Rs 600 for a thrust that usually costs Rs 150. We were near helpless," said a commuter astatine Park Circus.
Mayor and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim admitted that astir parts of the metropolis were waterlogged contempt continuous pumping by civic teams. "The canals and rivers are afloat of h2o and each clip h2o is drained out, much comes wrong the city. The concern whitethorn not amended until aft tonight’s debased tide," helium said.
