P. Venugopal Rainfall 40 p.c. deficient so far in southern districts A big concern is power generation THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Seventeen days after the monsoon had set in over Kerala, almost right on schedule on May 31, the State is still waiting for the kind of rains that will drench its fields for the seasonal crops and fill its reservoirs to drive its power generating stations.

Times of India, Jaipur When it rains, it pours. This came true for Rajasthan, which received heavy rain in several districts on Tuesday. Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Jaipur, Sikar and Jhunjhunu received heavy rain on Tuesday. Four children, aged between 10 and 13 years, drowned in a pond at Amrapura village in Alwar district. The children had gone swimming and were unprepared for the increased water level following heavy rain since Monday night.

At least 27 people are feared killed and more than 3 lakh people displaced in the northeast, particularly Assam, with the onset of monsoons. Not just the northeast, but large parts of northern Orissa are also under water, with the army and administration on overdrive to evacuate villagers in the flood-hit parts of the states.

For the first time in 108 years, monsoon has hit the Capital this early. But though its onset has been premature, the rainfall has been very good this year and well distributed. Between June 1 and June 15, the overall rainfall across India has been 44% above normal. And in the northwestern zone, which includes Delhi, the overall rainfall has been 194% above normal during the same period.

With the onset of monsoon in northern Madhya Pradesh, heavy rains lashed Gwalior division and other parts of the state. Although monsoon arrived in the state on time, good rainfall has so far been elusive with most parts receiving light rainfall. A regional meteorological department spokesperson said an upper air cycer built over northwestern Madhya Pradesh was causing rainfall. A cycer built over the Bay of Bengal was developing into a low pressure area following which good rainfall was expected.

In Bihar's flood-prone villages, a cycle of misery is perpetuated - report by Bharat Dogra In a month's time the monsoon will arrive. And I am reminded of my visit to East Champaran district of Bihar four months after last year's "exceptionally destructive" floods. As person after person narrated his/her misery to me, it was clear that the government's relief was inadequate and acute distress did not recede with the flood waters; it lingered for months in the form of gnawing hunger, disease and deprivation. In fact, it is a cycle of misery that repeats year after year.

Residents blame district administration for laxity in preparing for the monsoon

Labour pangs for farmers seem to be far from over. First it was the overall shortage of manual labour and now early rains are becoming a cause of worry for farmers. An early monsoon is good news for farmers, but the need to transplant paddy as soon as possible has only hiked labour expenses. A rough estimate says in the last couple of days alone, the labour expenses have gone up by 30 per cent. Beginning June 10, about 20 per cent of paddy cultivation in Punjab has been completed, says government data.

Ballygunge Circular Road. Pictures by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya and Talat Salahuddin Ballygunge Circular Road, that winds its way from Ballygunge Phari in the south and meets Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road in the north, is a tree-lined avenue with a lot of surrounding greenery. The sprawling Ballygunge Maidan Camp and the Ballygunge Science College campus are the dominant green zones here. A part of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation's (CMC) ward No. 69, this is primarily a residential area populated by a cosmopolitan crowd and of course the most elusive Calcuttan

Waterlogging woes in some pockets of Calcutta will be as bad as last year, or even worse. In the rest of the city, the mayor hopes, the problem will persist with "much less' severity. The pockets that are feared to be worst hit include Thanthania, Madan Mohan Burman Street, Chittaranjan Avenue and Camac Street-Wood Street in Calcutta proper and Behala in the added areas.