Calcutta, Sept. 25 :     Large parts of the city were still submerged in knee-deep water for the second consecutive day today after a deluge reminiscent of the 1978 flood paralysed life. In the drier and luckier parts, some managed to pick up the pieces and hobble back to a semblance of normality. This evening another person was electrocuted in Ultadanga taking the toll in the city to six. In the flood-affected districts the toll stands at 20. The weatherman, however, said the worst is over as far as the city is concerned, but north and south Bengal will probably be lashed by rain tomorrow, too. ?There will be one or two showers or thundershowers in Calcutta tomorrow, but this is part of monsoon activity. We will not feel the influence of the low pressure which has moved north from the Bihar plateau to the plains,?? said an official at the Alipore meteorological office. Malda, Birbhum, Burdwan, Murshidabad and Jalpaiguri will have a fair amount of rain tomorrow. ?In fact, we have issued a fresh warning over south Bengal for the next 48 hours,?? he added. In the last 24 hours till 8.30 am today, the Alipore met office recorded 90 mm of rain in the city. A brief period of sunshine early this morning had raised hopes of a clear and brighter day. But around noon, the skies began to darken once again. Soon the rain came in sheets threatening to whip the city for the second consecutive day. The weather gods answered the prayers of the city and the shower stopped when the rivulets had started to rise. The Alipore met office said it recorded 29.2 mm of rain between 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm. Finance minister Asim Dasgupta slammed the Alipore met office saying the instruments were not sophisticated and hence the administration was not warned of the weather earlier. He said the state would instal its own weather forecast system. Yesterday, mayor Prasanta Chatterjee blamed the met office for not issuing a warning. But met office director R.N. Goldar today insisted that he had issued warnings to the CMC, its pumping stations and even civil defence 48 hours in advance. Even as the rain relented the deluge stayed. Areas like Gariahat, Rashbehari, Ballygunge, Kasba, Garia, Jodhpur Park, Kidderpore, Chetla and Alipore in the south were under knee-deep water. The picture was even worse in Ultadanga, Lake Town, Bangur, Dum Dum Park and Kalindi where one lakh people have been living in flooded homes for the last two days. There is an acute drinking water shortage because pumps and underground reservoirs have been submerged. Residents said they are worse off than in 1978. ?There is a stench in the area and we feel that an epidemic can break out any moment. There us nothing to eat as most shops and markets are closed,?? said Sushil Sen of Lake Town. Residents blocked VIP Road for hours today protesting against the administration?s inertia. Chief minister Jyoti Basu will hold an all-party meeting on Monday to discuss the situation. The CMC, however, threw its hands up in despair saying high tide had prevented water from draining out. Member, mayor-in-council, drainage and sewerage, Chanchal Ghosh said the tide, at 6.1 metres, came around 9.50 am and was the highest this season. But closer to the truth is the fact that the main canals which drain out city water ? Bagjola, Keshtopur and Tolly?s Nullah ? are choked up to 70 per cent with silt. Despite repeated warnings the administration has done nothing to clear them. In fact, water receded at a painfully slow rate of 8 mm per hour all through the city. Deputy commissioner of police headquarters, Nazrul Islam, said a 35-year-old unidentified man was electrocuted in Ultadanga as he was wading through the water. The bodies of two persons, who were suspected to have drowned in the basement of a building on AJC Bose Road yesterday, were recovered today when the water was pumped out. Many areas in the city had to go without power and telephones continued to go dead. CESC director of operations K.A. Siddiqui said Fern Road, Cornfield Road, Tiljala, Topsia, Ultadanga and Lake Town were plunged in darkness for hours because feeder lines have been shut down. ?Water has seeped inside and we are taking no chances. There could be a short circuit. We have, however, repaired most of the 30 feeders that collapsed last evening,?? he added. Around thousand telephone lines went dead today and chief general manager of Calcutta Telephones K. Ramanujam said they can be repaired only when the water recedes. Traffic snarls continued to plague the city and even policemen of the Alipore bodyguard lines squatted on Sterndale Road, holding up vehicles. They were protesting against the administration?s apathy in draining water.