Rain lashed Calcutta and other districts of southern West Bengal for the third consecutive day on Sunday, giving a harrowing time to clay artisans who are making idols for the upcoming Durga Puja.

A MeT spokesperson said thunderstorms accompanied by lightning struck different parts of South 24 Parganas, Calcutta, North 24 Parganas, Birbhum, Purba Medinipur, Nadia, Murshidabad, Hooghly, Howrah districts since Sunday morning and similar conditions will prevail for the next one or two days.

Calcutta recorded 39.8 mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours, causing water-logging in parts of the city.

Rain dampened puja shopping spirit at traditional shopping hubs such as Shyambazar and Gariahat saw fewer footfalls, as did various shopping malls.

At Calcutta's artisans' hub Kumartuli and elsewhere, clay-modellers had a trying time in preventing the idols from turning soggy and used heaters to dry the moist earth.

"This is a crucial time. If such rainfall persists, it will be difficult for us to complete the idols before Mahalaya on October 14," said Sanjit Pal, a Kumartuli clay-modeller sculpting idols of at least 15 community pujas.

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