Reviving monsoon pounds East and West coasts

New Delhi, June 21 (UNI) A reviving monsoon cut a swathe across the country's Eastern and Western seaboard today, as conditions brightened for more rains in north-central Maharashtra, Marathwada and Telengana, the met office said.

Rain/thundershower occurred at a few places over coastal Orissa, northeastern states, Konkan and Goa, coastal Karnataka and Kerala.

Sporadic rainfall also occurred over Gangetic West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi Rayalaseema, Tamil Nadu and Vidarbha over the last 24 hours.

Conditions were ''favourable'' for further advance of southwest monsoon into north-central Maharashtra, parts of Marathawada and remaining parts of Telangana during the next 48 hours, an official of the India Metereological Department told UNI.

Heavy rainfall is expected at a few places over Andaman and Nicobar Islands and at isolated places over Assam and Meghalaya, besides coastal regions of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, he informed.

''Rainfall activity over Peninsula including Maharashtra and eastern parts of India is likely to increase,'' he added.

Reports of good rains were received from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kolkata. The north-western states continued to experience dry weather.

UNI VN PA PM1951