Cyclone Remal Update: Havoc in Bengal, 6 dies

May 27, 2024

West Bengal: Cyclone ‘Remal’ that emerged from the Bay of Bengal has caused considerable damage to life and property in the state. So far, six people have been reported dead due to the cyclone, although officially four have been reported dead. Dozens have been injured. Thousands of kutcha houses have collapsed in Kakdweep, Bakkhali, Fraserganj, Sagardweep and Sundarban areas of South 24 Parganas district.

Two lakh people are in relief camps. More than 1,400 relief camps have been opened by the state government in various districts. At some places, due to breach of river embankment, water has entered the fields, causing considerable damage to crops. Electric poles have fallen in many areas, due to which the power supply has come to a standstill.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has talked about announcing compensation for those affected after the election code of conduct is lifted. On the other hand, Governor Dr. CV Anand Bose visited Kolkata and surrounding affected areas on Monday. Officials of the task force formed by Raj Bhavan were included with him. He inspected the relief and rescue operations and interacted with the affected people and assured them of all possible assistance.

It is known that the cyclone hit the coastal areas of Bengal and Bangladesh at around 8.30 pm on Sunday night. Due to its impact, heavy rains occurred in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, North and South 24 Parganas, East and West Bardhaman, Murshidabad, Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, Nadia, East and West Medinipur districts on Monday, which had a widespread impact on normal life. .

Most of the shops and markets remained closed at various places including Kolkata. Ferry service was also stopped. Buses also ran very rarely. After the passing of the cyclone, flight operations were resumed at Kolkata Airport on Monday morning, however, due to strong winds, there was a lot of difficulty in taking off and landing on the runway. After failing to land, some planes were diverted towards Gaya, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar and Varanasi. Airlines were closed at 12 noon on Sunday.

Train services were also restored, although their movement remained slow due to rain. At some places, due to water logging on the tracks, trains on those routes were canceled or did not run to the destination stations.