Kolkata: At least ten people have died of electrocution, say reports, as very heavy rain which lashed across Kolkata overnight caused widespread inundation, bringing the city to a halt today, September 23. This is being reported as the city’s heaviest rainfall in 37 years.In an interview to TV18, chief minister Mamata Banerjee blamed Kolkata’s power distribution company CESC for this outcome. “They are doing business here but modernising infrastructure in Rajasthan. My mouth aches from repeating the same thing,” Banerjee said.Schools and colleges have been declared shut, trains and Metro railway services are paralysed, exams are postponed and other services are affected.With the annual Durga Puja celebrations less than a week away, the flooded city offers more risks than usual, with pandal decorations, flex boards and bamboo sticks causing blockades on waterlogged roads in various parts of the city.Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim, whose neighbourhood, the site of a famous Durga Puja, is also inundated, wrote on X that the rainfall was “abnormal.”“We at [Kolkata Municipal Corporation] are closely monitoring the situation to ensure a swift and effective response. All emergency services are on high alert and KMC’s Control Room is fully operational to assist citizens whenever required. I urge all my fellow citizens to please stay indoors and remain safe until the water levels recede. If outdoors, avoid touching or holding lamp posts and light poles, as there maybe a serious risk of electrocution in waterlogged areas,” he wrote.Photo: X/@MurtazaKhambatyPhoto: X/@EchoesOfMe88People wade through water in South Kolkata on September 23. Photo: The Wire/Sravasti Dasgupta.Local media has quoted Kolkata Municipal Corporation officials as having said that bringing the city back to normal will take 10 to 12 hours if there is no additional rain. However, drizzling showers have been ongoing and there is a forecast for rains today. The India Meteorological Department has issued an alert for the city and nearby districts till September 26.Tarak Singh, the member of the city’s Mayoral Council who is in charge of sanitation, was quoted as having said, “I have never seen rains like this during the Durga Pujas. Many gully pits are active but a few could not be opened and so it is taking time for the waters to go down.”Key areas of the southern parts of the city had all received more than 250 mm of rain by today morning. Garia got 332 mm, Jodhpur Park got 285 mm, Kalighat got 280 mm and Alipore got 275 mm. Parts of north Kolkata, which is at a higher elevation, are also waterlogged.Photo: X/@hossain_shaherPhoto: X/@vuttaa