19 killed in 24 hrs as rains lash UP, schools shut in some dists

Lucknow: Nineteen people were killed in the past 24 hours as rain lashed Uttar Pradesh, disrupting normal life, particularly in the state's central region and forcing schools in some places to shut for a day, authorities said Monday evening.

Roof collapses, cases of drowning and deaths due to lightning were reported in parts of the state. Some localities in the capital Lucknow faced waterlogging. In Barabanki, rail tracks were flooded.

Four deaths were reported from Hardoi, three from Barabanki, two each from Pratapgarh and Kannauj, and one each from Amethi, Deoria, Jalaun, Kanpur, Unnao, Sambhal, Rampur and Muzaffarnagar districts, it said.

In Kannauj, two brothers -- Kallu (13) and Avnish (17) -- died after the thatched roof of their house in Lalkiyapur village in Tirwa area collapsed on Sunday following overnight rains, Naib Tehsildar (revenue official) Ratnesh Kumar said.

In Muzaffarnagar district, Deepika (28) died after the roof of her house in Rahmatpur village in the Bhopa area collapsed last night, while her mother-in-law sustained serious injuries, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Subodh Kumar said on Monday.

In Deoria, Divya Chauhan (9) drowned while taking a bath in a swollen rivulet in the district, police said on Monday.

In 22 districts of the state, there have been over 40 mm rain in the last 24 hours including Moradabad, Sambhal, Kannauj, Rampur, Hathras, Barabanki, Kasganj, Bijnor, Amroha, Bahraich, Lucknow, Badaun, Mainpuri, Hardoi, Firozabad, Bareilly, Shahjahanpur, Kanpur, Sitapur Farrukhabad, Lakhimpur Kheri and Fatehpur.

Alleging corruption in the budget meant for smart cities', Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said waterlogging in Lucknow has exposed the blank promises of the BJP government.

"The BJP has betrayed the people of the state in the name of smart cities. There was corruption and loot in the budget for the scheme due to which the situation is palpable," he said.

"The state capital Lucknow and other cities are facing waterlogging and many colonies are submerged in water and drains are overflowing," Yadav said in a statement issued here.

According to the MET department forecast, heavy rains are likely in the eastern region till September 14 while light rains will continue till September 17, the official of the relief commissioner office said.

The western region of the state is also likely to get rains and showers till September 17, though there is an alert for lightning over the state till September 15.

In Barabanki, the movement of trains was hit as water came on the railway tracks. A passenger train was halted at the outer for some time but later the trains were allowed to pass at a very slow pace, a railway official said.

Schools in the state capital remain closed on the order of the authorities.

In Lucknow, District Magistrate Surya Pal Gangwar ordered the closure of schools and issued an advisory for the people not to venture out unnecessarily in view of the possibility of severe lightning.

All the district-level officers in Lucknow are in the field and taking stock of the problems caused due to rain. The problem emanating from water logging is being looked into on an urgent basis in different parts of the state capital, the DM said.