West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will inaugurate multiple Durga Puja pandals in districts virtually from her Kolkata residence as heavy overnight rains left the city submerged, bringing daily life to a halt. “I have cancelled the inauguration of puja’s in Kolkata today. We will do it tomorrow,” she said.
The Indian Meteorological department has predicted light to moderate rainfall in the city for tomorrow.
Kolkata was brought to a standstill on Tuesday after three hours of torrential rain between 2:30 am and 5:30 am flooded large parts of the city. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded 185.6 mm of rainfall during the deluge, the highest since 1978. Rail and Metro services were disrupted, several long-distance trains were rescheduled, and over 90 flights were cancelled as the airport runway remained waterlogged.
At least nine people died in separate incidents, seven due to electrocution and two from drowning. Banerjee described the downpour as “unbelievable,” adding, “We are told such deluge happened way back in 1978.”
She blamed the Centre for failing to dredge the Ganges and for neglecting infrastructure. “Central government does not undertake dredging. Ganges was on the brink and then we have unprecedented rains last night,” she said.
Taking on critics, she remarked, “I want to tell all those who are trying to indulge in politics over calamity, it’s a shame. It’s important to stand with the people and not politic now. Nature is not in our control. We could have done similar politics during natural calamity in Uttarakhand, but we never did that.”
Banerjee also issued directions to the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation. “I’ve spoken to Sanjiv Goenka, CESC must take proper measures for the upkeep of live wires, and CESC must take onus of the tragedy and compensation should be provided to those families whose members have died of electrocution,” she said.
Warning of further risks, she urged caution over possible high tides. “We must be alert of the high tide as well. Because if it rains again during high tide then it may lead to water logging once again,” she cautioned. The Chief Minister also held Metro authorities responsible for worsening the situation, alleging that construction material left on roads blocked drainage systems after being washed down by rain.
Meanwhile, opposition voices blamed her administration for the crisis. “Once again, the people of West Bengal are suffering under the disastrous misgovernance of Mamata Banerjee, and her audacity to call this rainfall ‘sudden’ is an admission of failure,” critics said.
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