Pune (Maharashtra), Jul 25 (IANS): Large tracts of Pune city and the district were submerged in flood waters as the state’s academic and cultural capital was pounded by heavy rain overnight, with schools shut and boats deployed to help out people, officials said here on Thursday.

The city Fire Brigade, police, SDRF and NDRF teams and other agencies were rushed to many areas to rescue people who woke up this morning and found themselves stranded in 3-5 feet deep waters.

The rescuers deployed boats and ropes to bring out scores of people stuck in their homes or shops with the waters inundating their dwellings up to the ceiling in some buildings.

The NDRF started a rescue operation in Nimbaj Nagar, Deccan Gymkhana and Sinhagad Road areas which were among the worst hit as the city received over 200 mm rains in the past 24 hours.

The situation was compounded by over 40,000 cusecs water being discharged from the overflowing Khadakwasla Dam, said Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, the Pune MP.

Angry locals slammed the government for allegedly opening the dam floodgates to the Mula-Mutha River basins at around 4 a.m. without prior notice which could have enabled the people to rush to safer areas.

Almost across the city, roads, streets and lanes were littered with two-wheelers and four-wheelers that were stuck in the flood waters and people wading in waist-to-neck deep water, frantically attempting to save their belongings.

Major thoroughfares like the Bhide Bridge, Holkar Bridge, Sangam Bridge and adjoining colony, Khillare complex near Garware College, a bridge opposite the PMC office, were shut for traffic as the rivers below were in a raging flow.

Elsewhere, the twin hill stations of Khandala-Lonavala, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Mulshi, Khed, Bhor, Maval, Haveli, Baramati and other places, plus the fashionable and elite Lavasa city received very heavy rain measuring over 300 mm in the past 24 hours.

In several areas of Pune city and other towns, the rescue agencies and police appealed to people to remain indoors, and those stranded in multi-storey buildings were urged to remain there, electricity in some areas was cut off as a precaution, compounding the problems.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar spoke with Collector Suhas Diwase and said that an Orange Alert has been issued for Pune, all teams are on high alert and multiple efforts are underway to control the situation arising out of the flood situation.