Overnight downpour floods roads, halts trains and schools; CM Mamata Banerjee blames CESC for lapses
Kolkata
Kolkata reeled under chaos on Tuesday after a night of relentless rain left large parts of the city submerged and claimed at least ten lives by electrocution. Heavy rainfall since midnight inundated roads, homes and rail tracks, crippling traffic and forcing the West Bengal government to declare a two-day holiday for schools and colleges.
Water rose to knee- and waist-level at key intersections such as Park Circus, Gariahat, Behala and College Street, leaving vehicles stranded for hours. Metro services were partially suspended between Shahid Khudiram and Maidan, while train movement in the Sealdah south section and the Circular Railway line was halted due to flooded tracks. Long snarls choked the EM Bypass and AJC Bose Road as buses broke down and taxis stayed off the streets.
Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim confirmed the deaths and warned that high tide could delay drainage efforts. Identified victims include Firoz Ali Khan of Beniapukur, Pranatosh Kundu of Netaji Nagar and Mumtaz Bibi of Ekbalpur. “The canals and rivers are overflowing. Every time water is pumped out, more gushes in,” Hakim said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called the rainfall “unprecedented,” blaming poor dredging of the Farakka barrage and accusing power utility CESC of failing to prevent electrocutions. She urged citizens to stay indoors until conditions improve.
The India Meteorological Department warned of more heavy rain across south Bengal, with some neighbourhoods already recording over 300 mm in a few hours.
