The city civic body said the government and semi-government offices here will remain closed on Tuesday and appealed to the private establishments to allow their employees to work from home and avoid unncessary travel

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in a statement on Tuesday morning, announced the closure as a precautionary measure, in view of the continuous heavy rains in the city and suburbs and the `red alert` warning issued by the IMD

The statement said the decision applies to all BMC offices and state-run establishments, excluding essential services

Schools and colleges were also shut in view of the relentless rains and the `red alert` warning issued by the IMD, which forecast extremely heavy showers at isolated places in Mumbai and neighbouring districts on Tuesday

The Mumbai Police appealed to residents to step out of homes only if necessary and also requested the private sector to allow work from home

The Directorate of Higher Education has declared a holiday for all senior colleges in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. The order applies to colleges in Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts

In the forecast for Tuesday, India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted "very heavy to extremely heavy" rainfall in the city and suburbs of Mumbai with occasional gusty winds reaching 45-55 kmph

A day after heavy showers battered Mumbai, its residents again faced the rain fury on Tuesday as various roads were submerged and traffic movement was disrupted since early morning

Several parts of the city, including Borivali, Andheri, Sion, Dadar and Chembur, witnessed intense downpour through the night and the rain continued in the morning as well, resulting in water-logging in low-lying areas, including Gandhi Market