Very heavy rains flood Kolkata, halt normal life; four die from electrocution

KOLKATA , SEP 23 : At least four people died from electrocution in rain-hit Kolkata, officials said, as heavy overnight rainfall caused widespread waterlogging, halting traffic, public transport and daily life across the city on Tuesday.

The victims were identified as Firoz Ali Khan (50) of Beniapukur, Pranatosh Kundu (62) of Netaji Nagar, and Mumtaz Bibi (70) of Ekbalpur, besides an unidentified person in Gariahat.

Heavy rain since past midnight flooded roads and residential complexes across the city, leaving vehicles stranded for hours in knee-to-waist-deep water at major intersections, including Park Circus, Gariahat, Behala, and College Street.

“So far, we have received information of four deaths due to electrocution in different places in the city,” Kolkata Mayor and state Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim told PTI.

Hakim said that most parts of the city were waterlogged and teams of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) were working round the clock to drain out the water.

“Our officers are working hard.But the canals and rivers are full of water and every time water is drained out, more is getting inside the city. We fear that the high tide which is around 1.30 PM today, may not help in our efforts to drain out the excessive water from the city. It would be around 10 PM when the situation could be expected to improve,” Hakim said.

Traffic movement was severely affected across most arterial roads, with vehicles stranded for hours in knee-to-waist-deep water at key intersections such as Park Circus, Gariahat, Behala, and College Street.

Long traffic snarls were reported on EM Bypass, AJC Bose Road and Central Avenue, while several smaller lanes in south and central Kolkata were completely cut off due to waist-deep water.

Commuters complained of buses breaking down mid-way, while taxis and app cabs either stayed off the roads or charged exorbitant fares.

Significant waterlogging was reported in the mid-section of the Blue Line (Dakshineswar Shahid Khudiram), particularly between Mahanayak Uttam Kumar and Rabindra Sarobar stations, prompting the immediate suspension of services on this stretch.

A Metro Railway Kolkata spokesperson said in order to ensure passengers’ safety, services have been suspended between Shahid Khudiram and Maidan stations since morning hours. “Truncated services are being run between Dakshineswar and Maidan stations,” he said, adding that normal services are expected to be resumed soon.

Owing to waterlogging of tracks, train movement in the Sealdah south section has been suspended, while skeleton services are being run in the Sealdah north and main sections, an Eastern Railway official said.

Train services have been partially affected to and from Howrah and Kolkata terminal stations of Eastern Railway as tracks got waterlogged owing to heavy downpour, he said.

Train movement in the Circular Railway line has also been suspended due to waterlogging at Chitpur yard, he added.

Many schools have declared a holiday in the wake of very heavy downpour and waterlogged streets. Office-goers were having a tough time reaching their destinations because of lack of public transport and traffic snarls.

The city is bracing for more downpour as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that a low-pressure area over the northeast Bay of Bengal is likely to bring heavy rain in several south Bengal districts.

The intensity of rain was higher in the southern and eastern parts of the city, with Garia Kamdahari recording 332 mm of rain in just a few hours, followed by Jodhpur Park at 285 mm, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) said.

Kalighat recorded 280 mm of rain, Topsia 275 mm, Ballygunge 264 mm, while Thantania in north Kolkata received 195 mm of rain, they added.

The weather office said heavy rainfall is likely to occur in Purba and Paschim Medinipur, South 24 Parganas, Jhargram and Bankura districts in South Bengal till Wednesday. It said another fresh low-pressure area is likely to form over the east-central and adjoining north Bay of Bengal around September 25.

-PTI