Heavy rains lash Kolkata, cause traffic snarls

Incessant rain since the early hours on Thursday has left parts of Kolkata and its adjoining suburbs with waterlogged streets and overflowing drains, leading to traffic congestion during the busy office hours.

Several important arterial roads, including M. G. Road, Strand Road, Central Avenue, are waterlogged, thus slowing vehicular movement.

The train services under the Eastern and South Eastern Railway have, however, so far remained normal with most of the local trains (EMUs) running on time.

After moderate rainfall since Wednesday evening, parts of Kolkata city received a constant downpour primarily caused by a depression over Bay of Bengal along the Odisha-Jharkhand border.

The Met Office recorded 15 mm of rain in the city last night, with south Kolkata receiving more rain than the north. 

The Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore has forecast moderate rainfall in Kolkata and the other South Bengal districts for the next 24 hours.

Tourists at the coastal towns of Digha, Mandarmani in East Midnapore and Bokkhali in South 24 Parganas district have been asked not to go near the sea as the weather conditions may deteriorate further.

Some places in North 24 Parganas and Hoogly districts are also under water after heavy rains. IANS