Mumbai: Schools and colleges in Mumbai and its suburbs remained shut on Thursday amid a red alert for heavy rains, officials said.

School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar, the guardian minister for Mumbai city, declared a holiday as heavy rains pounded Mumbai.

A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official said the holiday was declared as a precautionary measure after the Met department had issued a red alert predicting extremely heavy rainfall till 8:30 am on Thursday.

"All schools and colleges under BMC's jurisdiction remained closed on Thursday, considering the safety of the students," the BMC stated.

The civic body also appealed to citizens to step out of their homes only if necessary.

"Commuters were advised to check weather updates and plan accordingly," the civic body said.

Heavy rains had been lashing Mumbai and its suburbs since Wednesday afternoon, inundating low-lying areas, stopping local trains on tracks between Kurla and Thane stations, and stranding passengers even as traffic crawled on roads.