The West Bengal government declared Pujo holidays in state-run educational institutions two days early today, Tuesday, September 23, owing to a near-collapse of public life in Kolkata and other south Bengal districts following massive overnight rains.

Following Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's appeal to stay off waterlogged roads to avoid electrocution accidents and instructing students to take holidays or switch to online classes, state education minister Bratya Basu announced that all government-run educational institutions would be closed on September 24 and 25, PTI reported.

"An unprecedented calamity-like situation prevails in the state. In keeping with the advice of the chief minister to offer relief to our students in the current situation and to pre-empt accidents, it has been decided to keep all education institutions closed tomorrow and the day after, that is, on September 24 and 25," Basu wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The minister urged all teachers and non-teaching staff in the educational sector to work from home to fulfil important and unfinished responsibilities in this disaster.

"Since the Durga Puja holidays are scheduled to start from September 26, effectively the vacation will start from tomorrow (Wednesday). I wish all happy Pujas. My deepest condolences remain with the next of kin of my fellow citizens who lost their lives in this calamity," the minister added.

Normal life in Kolkata and its surrounding areas came to a near halt on Tuesday after exceptionally heavy overnight rainfall caused widespread flooding, bringing traffic, public transit and daily activities to a halt.

At least seven people perished as a result of electrocution in the city.

Some portions of the city got almost 330 mm of rain in a matter of hours, with precipitation averaging more than 250 mm in the majority of the city and its suburbs.