IANS/Mumbai
Heavy rains lashed Mumbai and surrounding areas, including Thane and Raigad, yesterday, disrupting road and rail traffic, officials said.Although the downpour offered a respite from the sultry weather, it affected Mumbai’s lifeline, the suburban train network. The trains were running late by 10-15 minutes on the Central Railway and the Harbour Line since morning, delaying millions of commuters. No delays were reported on the Western Railway section.Air traffic at the Mumbai airport, however, remained largely unaffected. Three flights from Ahmedabad were diverted to Mumbai early yesterday due to inclement weather conditions there, an airport official said.The city disaster control room said there was no water-logging in any part of Mumbai. Commuters travelling by roads, however, reported traffic jams in some parts of the city.“Due to traffic jams, it took me nearly 45 minutes to cover the distance between Jogeshwari and Vikhroli which normally takes around 10 minutes,” said Pagur Desai, who travels daily from Kandivli to Mulund.The Weather Bureau has forecast heavy rains in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and surrounding areas for the next two days.In New Delhi, Minister of State for Science and Technology Ashwani Kumar said the pre-monsoon showers would descend over northwest India, including the national capital, in the next two days.Kumar said monsoon rains could be expected in north and northwest India in the next four-five days.“The conditions are now favourable for the advance of the southwest monsoon,” Kumar said, quoting a weather office report.