Kolkata, 23 September (IANS) At midnight, a cloudburst threw life out of gear in Kolkata, West Bengal, causing serious waterfall across the city. Even the trusted metro railways have not been spared evenly and the services between megastar Uttam Kumar and Rabindra Sarobar Metro stations were suspended in early Tuesday due to floods on the tracks.
Metro officials are doing round work to restore water drain and services, but the passengers were left stuck during the busy morning crowd.
Masterda Surya Sen, an IANS team visiting the metro station, found anxious passengers battling with disintegration. Many were unaware of the suspension of many services and stuck on themselves, without bus, cab, or even bike taxis. With limited transport options, some office-goals resorted to unconventional means including pickup trucks to reach their workplaces.
Another commuter, Deepak shared his disappointment: “I am on my way for the office, but it is extremely difficult. Even the bike taxi is not running. We have no option.”
Local resident, Lalit Parida gave a clear voice to his concern: “We are facing a lot of problems. No buses, no cabs. It is anarchy.”
Meanwhile, Vicky chose to see the bright side: “I didn’t know about sleeping waterlogging.
After heavy rains overnight, which crippled the city, resulting in seven deaths due to electrocution, Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim appealed to the people on Tuesday that people appeal to people to get out of their homes for the day.
The mayor of the city said that the situation will take at least 12 to 14 hours to normalize, subject to rain during that period. However, light rains have been scattered across the city since the morning, after a large scale fall since 1 o’clock due to a cloudburst. The city and suburbs received more than 300 mm of rain till 5 am.
“I have never seen this type of rain in my life before. Kolkata is unprecedented due to a cloudburst due to more than 300 mm of rain in 5 hours.
He went to the KMC headquarters to monitor the situation and instructed the authorities to work on a war foot to bring the situation under control in view of Durga Puja, officially begins on 27 September, while Pooja Mandaps are to be opened on Wednesday evening.
Amidst overnight rain, Kolkata and its surrounding areas were immersed under deep knee on Tuesday, interrupting daily lives. Officials said at least seven people were electrocks in the city.
The Mayor of Kolkata said, “I will appeal to the people of the city not to go out of my homes today.
At the same time, he could not assure when the situation would become normal.
“The situation is such that even though there is not much rainfall for the next few hours, the condition of waterlogging in Kolkata will take at least 12 to 14 hours to normalize. The lock gate was closed today from 12.30 am to 4.00 pm today. Unfortunately, an average rainfall during that period. The situation worsened.”
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JK/Red