With just days to go before Durga Puja, torrential rains on Monday night and Tuesday left Kolkata paralysed under floodwaters, disrupting transport, trade and festive preparations. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of more showers through the week, raising fears of further disruption.

The city recorded 251.4 mm of rainfall in 24 hours till Tuesday morning, the heaviest in nearly four decades and the sixth-highest single-day downpour in 137 years. Neighbourhoods from Garia to Jodhpur Park and Park Circus to Kankurgachi were submerged under knee-to-waist-deep water. Southern and eastern parts of the city were among the worst affected, with Garia logging 332 mm of rain and Jodhpur Park 285 mm.

Markets that typically bustle with pre-Puja shoppers lay paralysed. Commercia

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