Parts of Kolkata plunged into darkness on Tuesday as the city’s private power utility, CESC, cut electricity to vast neighbourhoods following eight electrocution deaths amid night-long torrential rain.
Officials said the supply was switched off in low-lying areas to prevent further fatalities, leaving lakhs of residents without power and many unable to draw water as pumps fell silent.
Preventing tragedy: CESC defends power cuts
According to ToI, CESC said power had been deliberately switched off in localities including Jadavpur, Dhakuria, Ballygunge, Kasba, Ekbalpore, Mominpore, Survey Park and several parts of Behala, as floodwaters rose dangerously close to junction boxes and meters.
“In low-lying areas, junction boxes are fitted with sensors to cut off supply as soon as water level reaches a certain level. At others, we shut supply after getting alerts, either from our men on the ground or from consumers concerned that water level was close to the meter box,” CESC executive director Avijit Ghosh told TOI.
Nearly a lakh customers received automated SMS alerts citing “local network issues” and promising restoration “at the earliest.” The company also urged residents to use its WhatsApp helpline or mobile app for registering complaints instead of waiting on jammed call centre lines.
Residents of Buroshibtala, Baghajatin, Paschim Putiari, Behala Chowrasta, Pathak Para Road, and Kidderpore’s DH Road said their supply went off around 4 am. In Netaji Nagar, outages began from 6.30 am, while Naktala, Tollygunge, Ranikuthi, Garfa, Park Circus and College Street reported blackouts later in the morning.
Even public lighting was cut in parts of the city. The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation announced that all streetlights in Salt Lake and Rajarhat-Gopalpur would remain switched off on Tuesday and Wednesday to avoid accidents in waterlogged zones.
Torrential rain paralyses Kolkata
The widespread outages came after incessant rain submerged large parts of Kolkata overnight, killing at least seven people through electrocution and halting normal life. Train and Metro services were disrupted as tracks went under water, officials said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the rainfall as “unprecedented” and blamed both the lack of dredging at Farakka and lapses by the power utility.
“Even our houses are submerged; we are all suffering. I am feeling so bad for the Pujo pandals as well,” she said in a television interview, urging schools to remain shut and advising office-goers to stay home.
IMD warns of more heavy rain
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said a low-pressure area over the northeast Bay of Bengal was likely to bring further downpours across south Bengal districts.
Rainfall was heaviest in the city’s southern and eastern parts, with Garia Kamdahari recording 332 mm in just a few hours, followed by Jodhpur Park (285 mm), Kalighat (280 mm), Topsia (275 mm), Ballygunge (264 mm) and Thantania in north Kolkata (195 mm), according to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
Eastern Railway said waterlogging at Howrah, Kolkata and Chitpur yards forced partial suspension of suburban and Circular Railway services. With more showers predicted, many schools declared holidays and commuters struggled with traffic jams and crippled public transport.
The IMD also warned that another low-pressure system may form over the Bay of Bengal around September 25, raising fears of prolonged disruption in south Bengal.
Officials said the supply was switched off in low-lying areas to prevent further fatalities, leaving lakhs of residents without power and many unable to draw water as pumps fell silent.
Preventing tragedy: CESC defends power cuts
According to ToI, CESC said power had been deliberately switched off in localities including Jadavpur, Dhakuria, Ballygunge, Kasba, Ekbalpore, Mominpore, Survey Park and several parts of Behala, as floodwaters rose dangerously close to junction boxes and meters.
“In low-lying areas, junction boxes are fitted with sensors to cut off supply as soon as water level reaches a certain level. At others, we shut supply after getting alerts, either from our men on the ground or from consumers concerned that water level was close to the meter box,” CESC executive director Avijit Ghosh told TOI.
Nearly a lakh customers received automated SMS alerts citing “local network issues” and promising restoration “at the earliest.” The company also urged residents to use its WhatsApp helpline or mobile app for registering complaints instead of waiting on jammed call centre lines.
Residents of Buroshibtala, Baghajatin, Paschim Putiari, Behala Chowrasta, Pathak Para Road, and Kidderpore’s DH Road said their supply went off around 4 am. In Netaji Nagar, outages began from 6.30 am, while Naktala, Tollygunge, Ranikuthi, Garfa, Park Circus and College Street reported blackouts later in the morning.
Even public lighting was cut in parts of the city. The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation announced that all streetlights in Salt Lake and Rajarhat-Gopalpur would remain switched off on Tuesday and Wednesday to avoid accidents in waterlogged zones.
Torrential rain paralyses Kolkata
The widespread outages came after incessant rain submerged large parts of Kolkata overnight, killing at least seven people through electrocution and halting normal life. Train and Metro services were disrupted as tracks went under water, officials said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the rainfall as “unprecedented” and blamed both the lack of dredging at Farakka and lapses by the power utility.
“Even our houses are submerged; we are all suffering. I am feeling so bad for the Pujo pandals as well,” she said in a television interview, urging schools to remain shut and advising office-goers to stay home.
IMD warns of more heavy rain
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said a low-pressure area over the northeast Bay of Bengal was likely to bring further downpours across south Bengal districts.
Rainfall was heaviest in the city’s southern and eastern parts, with Garia Kamdahari recording 332 mm in just a few hours, followed by Jodhpur Park (285 mm), Kalighat (280 mm), Topsia (275 mm), Ballygunge (264 mm) and Thantania in north Kolkata (195 mm), according to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
Eastern Railway said waterlogging at Howrah, Kolkata and Chitpur yards forced partial suspension of suburban and Circular Railway services. With more showers predicted, many schools declared holidays and commuters struggled with traffic jams and crippled public transport.
The IMD also warned that another low-pressure system may form over the Bay of Bengal around September 25, raising fears of prolonged disruption in south Bengal.
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