Rains paralyse Mumbai, Maharashtra declares holiday

Mumbai, July 2 (IANS) The Central Railway (CR) early on Tuesday suspended suburban train services after incessant heavy rain flooded tracks at several spots between Mumbai-Thane, and services on Western Railway were also hit as Maharashtra government declared a precautionery public holiday for the city, officials said.

The CR train services, which were earlier suspended between Thane-Kurla, were suspended from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Thane due to tracks getting submerged at various locations on the route and delays were reported on WR suburban network.

Long-distance trains from different parts of India, expected to reach Mumbai, have also been stranded at various locations en route, details of which are awaited.

There were delays in arrivals and departures, 54 flights diverted to and from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, with operations getting hit after a Spicejet aircraft overshot the runway shortly before midnight.

Road traffic also continued to be for the second consecutive day in the city and suburbs as many areas were waterlogged, the subways in Andheri, Jogeshwari, Vile Parle and Dahisar flooded.

The two highways, main and arterials roads remained virtually deserted as people chose to remain indoors, autorickshaws, taxis and aggregator cabs were also largely missing.

With the main lifelines of the millions of Mumbai commuters, the roads and trains remaining practically off-bounds, the state government early today declared a precautionary holiday for Mumbai.

Prior to that the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had declared a holiday for all schools and colleges, and the state government expanded it to include other parts of coastal Konkan region.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has appealed to people not to step out unless absolutely necessary in view of the continued downpour.