The Central Railway has operated 705 special trains for Diwali and Chhath, carrying more than 10.6 lakh passengers, a senior official said. Central Railway General Manager Vijay Kumar said that the CR plans to operate as many as 1,998 Diwali and Chhath special trains out of the 12,011 special trains scheduled by zonal railways. Across the country between September 19 and November 30.
While torrential rain caused a flood-like situation in parts of Rajasthan; heavy rainfall and landslides in some areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim affected normal life and disrupted traffic movement.
In Uttar Pradesh, 18 people died in a period of over 24 hours ending at 8 pm on July 18. Of the total, eight died of drowning following excessive rain, while two were a result of snakebites.
In Chitrakoot, two deaths due to drowning were reported on July 17 and 18, three in Moradabad on July 17, and one drowned in Ghazipur on July 18, according to an official statement.
Rain-related incidents after downpour claimed three lives in Banda and two each in Mahoba and Chitrakoot, and one in Lalitpur on July 18, the statement said.
In Rajasthan, heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours has resulted in flood-like conditions in several cities, including Ajmer, Pushkar, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur and Pali.