A major disaster has struck amid the Durga Puja festive atmosphere. Record rainfall in Kolkata city and its suburbs has left many areas submerged in water. The rainwater has even entered several puja pandals in the city. In view of the flooding situation, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has cancelled all puja inauguration programmes on Tuesday. CM was scheduled to inaugurate several pujas in the city, but the programmes have been postponed considering the situation.
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The Chief Minister had already begun inaugurating several puja pandals in the city from the first day of the Navratri festival. She was scheduled to inaugurate more pujas in the city on Tuesday.
However, heavy rainfall since Monday night has devastated Kolkata, leading to waterlogging in several low-lying areas. In just five hours, record rainfall was recorded, with over 250 millimetres of rain falling in different parts of the city—reportedly the highest since 1978.
Water has also entered many major puja pandals, leaving organisers scrambling at the last minute, unsure of how to manage the crisis. Given the situation, the CM Banerjee has decided to postpone all puja inaugurations in the city on Tuesday. Additionally, she has declared a puja holiday in all government schools across the state from Tuesday.