Kolkata: Kolkata and adjoining areas got inundated on Tuesday due to heavy downpour from wee hours of September 23.
Vehicles were seen stranded on the road as it was not possible for them to move. Metro services and trains services got disrupted after the tracks got waterlogged.
Flights were also delayed due to the bad weather.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Mayor Firhad Hakim who was seen visiting several places under KMC said that he has ‘never’ seen such torrential rainfall that took place since the wee hours of Tuesday.
Notably, places in Kolkata which normally don't get inundated were also underwater due to the heavy rainfall. Water entered several hospitals and medical stores leaving the patients in a ‘bad’ situation.
On the other hand, as the ‘City of Joy’ is gearing up for its biggest festival Durga Puja, several puja committees and idol makers face huge losses due to thundering activities.
Many idol makers who were supposed to visit several pandals to give finishing touch to the idols said not just that they cannot reach the pandals; several Durga idols also got stranded at the studios as it was ‘impossible’ to carry clay idols during the rainfall.
Some Durga idols were seen stranded in Bijon Setu in south Kolkata due to heavy waterlogging in the Ballygunge area.
It is pertinent to mention that there is a forecast that rain will play ‘demon’ even during Durga Puja.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee however said that the alert has been sent to the fishermen not to venture into the sea and also that she has heard that there will be gusty winds blowing upto 60-65kmph.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urges people to work from home as several people died due to open wire on the streets.
“I have spoken with the chairperson of Calcutta Electric Supply and asked him to make sure that there is no open wire anywhere. They will also have to pay compensation to the families of those who died due to electrocution and the state government will also give compensation. I have declared puja vacation to government schools and will urge the private schools and offices to hold online classes and work from home,” said Mamata.
Incidentally, nine people have died in Kolkata due to open wire at several places.
Apart from the torrential downpour, the West Bengal Chief Minister blamed Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) responsible for the waterlogging.
“DVC has not done dredging for the last several years. They don’t listen to us and release water. Steps are being taken so that the situation improves soon,” further mentioned Mamata.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari mentioned that the state government cannot ‘run away’ from its responsibilities.
Countering the statement of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, DVC had mentioned that the water of DVC doesn’t reach Kolkata but goes to river Hooghly crossing Amta in Howrah district.
However, the weather department reported 213.7 mm of rain in Kolkata during this period. Between 1 and 22 September, the city had received a total of 178.6 mm, which is 16% less than the rainfall in the past 24 hours alone
