Heavy Rains Lash Parts Of Uttar Pradesh, Normal Life Affected

Heavy rains disrupted normal life in various parts of Uttar Pradesh on Monday, leading to waterlogging and traffic snarl-ups in several cities including the state capital. While overnight drizzling was reported from some parts, the skies opened up on Monday morning, a little after 8.30 a.m, and the downpour continued for well over next three hours, inundating most parts of Lucknow, including the posh areas like Gomtinagar, Indiranagar, Hazratganj and Mahanagar.

Flooding has also been reported from many parts of the city where senior ministers and bureaucrats live. Civic officials told IANS that water pumps have been pressed into service to flush out water from areas like Vikramaditya Marg, Dalibagh and Kalidas Marg, where the Chief Minister resides. Residences of many ministers have also been flooded with rain water.

House of Urban Development Minister Suresh Khanna and Health Minister Siddharthnath Singh has also been flooded with rain water. Power outages and disruptions in the internet connectivity have also been reported from many parts of the state.

The Met Office has issued a warning of very heavy rains in the next 48 hours in eastern and central parts of Uttar Pradesh.

Met Director J.P. Gupta has said that there would be intermittent rains across the state in the next two days. The monsoon is in the state and the rains are likely to continue for over 10 days, according to him.

Since morning, the road, rail and air traffic have been affected. Many flights have been diverted or are running much behind schedule.

Damage to property has been reported from Mainpuri, Agra, Etawah, Utah and Farrukhabad districts from where there are reports of house collapses and walls caving in. The state government has issued fresh guidelines to authorities in the districts for rescue and relief as the monsoon advances over the state.