GORAKHPUR, Oct. 12 -- Incessant rainfall for the third consecutive day threw daily life out of gear in Gorakhpur on Tuesday. Rain spells and waterlogging forced traders to keep the markets closed while residents avoided stepping out. Students faced inconvenience in travelling to their school and returning home as several institutions defied the order of the principal secretary of education to keep schools shut due to the heavy rainfall forecast.

In the first 10 days of the ongoing month, Gorakhpur has received a record 282 mm of rainfall. This unprecedented rainfall has left several areas -- including Bahadur Shah Zafar Colony, Green City area near Gorakhnath Temple, Daudpur, Illahi Bagh, and Geeta Press road -- inundated.

To restore th...