West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said at least seven people died of electrocution in Kolkata after overnight rain in the city and its surrounding districts. She announced a two-day holiday for government schools and urged private schools and offices to also remain closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“I heard that seven to eight people have died due to electrocution. It is so unfortunate that people have lost their lives. Their families must all be given jobs by the CESC, I am saying this clearly. We will also do whatever is possible to help,” Banerjee said in an interview to a Bengali television channel.

She added that even her own home had been affected, saying that the CESC should have been “more mindful”: “Even our houses are submerged; we are all suffering. I am feeling so bad for the Pujo pandals as well. Is this not the duty of the CESC to be more mindful? Electricity is supplied by CESC, not us. It is their duty to ensure people do not suffer because of this. They will do business here but not modernize here? They should send people to the field and fix this.”

Warning of further flooding, she said, “More water will come. There will be more waterlogging. There is high tide in the Ganga river from Mahalaya. Where will we pump out the water? There is no place to go, it will again have to go to the Ganga. Where will we send this water? (The Ganga) is full of Bihar and UP’s water.”

The Chief Minister appealed to Kolkata residents to stay at home: “I have never seen rain like this. I feel so bad for the people who have lost their lives in the cloudburst. I have told schools to give a holiday today, and even office-goers should not come to work. Even tomorrow, you should not come,” she said, urging private companies as well: “I would implore all private sector workers to also not come to work, calamities affect all equally. The Centre has cut our money through GST, and all our funds are going to deal with these calamities.”

Banerjee said she was in constant touch with the Mayor, Chief Secretary and police. “Farakka is not dredged properly, so every time it rains in Bihar, UP, Uttarakhand, Mumbai, Delhi, everywhere there is waterlogging. This time, the rain is slightly unusual,” she said.