Monsoon Fury: Punjab Schools To Remain Closed Till July 13

The Punjab government on Monday ordered the closure of all schools till July 13 in view of the heavy rainfall in the state.

"Due to continuous rains it has been decided that all the government, aided and private schools will remain closed till July 13," said Education Minister Harjot Bains.

Rains battered many parts of Punjab for the third consecutive day on Monday causing flooding at many places, as authorities scrambled to lead rescue operations to shift people to safer places.

According to the meteorological department, it has been raining in many parts of Punjab and Haryana since morning. Chandigarh also witnessed record rainfall during the past three days, and a few roads were filled with rainwater.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann appealed to people not to panic as heavy rains caused flooding at some places in the state.

In a tweet in Punjabi, Mann, who is visiting flood-affected areas in Mohali and Rupnagar districts, said the government is with the people and all possible help will be provided to them.

Mann later told reporters that all his ministers and MLAs as well as officials are on the ground and with people in this hour of crisis.

Earlier, schools were ordered to be closed in some of the worst-hit districts in Punjab and Haryana.

Mohali, Patiala, Rupnagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Panchkula and Ambala are some of the worst-hit districts in the two states.

The Punjab government requested additional assistance from the Army to combat the escalating crisis.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams were also deployed at some places in the two states.