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Prime Minister examines situation, Prime Minister asks population for safety: Cyclone Remal hits coast, air and train traffic suspended | News from India

Cyclone RemalThe first cyclone of the year in the Bay of Bengal, which led to the suspension of rail and air traffic in West Bengal, hit the Indian coast late Sunday evening in an area between the Sagar Islands and Khepupara in neighbouring Bangladesh.

The cyclone reached the coast after 9 pm on Sunday and lasted for about four hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Remal had wind speeds of between 110 and 120 kmph when it reached the coast. The Indian coast along northern Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal and the adjoining areas of Bangladesh are regularly hit by much stronger cyclones every year.

Moderate rainfall accompanied by strong winds occurred in southern districts of West Bengal and adjoining areas of Bangladesh for most of Sunday. Digha recorded about 45 mm of rainfall on Sunday and areas in South Parganas district received between 25 and 35 mm of rainfall on Sunday.

India’s National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) warned of high waves of 3.5 to 7.2 metres until Monday night along the coast between Digha and Bakkhali in West Bengal.

Persistent rain is expected in most areas of southern West Bengal on Monday too, especially in North and South Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Howrah and Hugli districts, the IMD said.

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As a precautionary measure, authorities suspended flight operations at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport for 21 hours. According to officials, 349 flights – both domestic and international – were suspended on Sunday and regular flights are expected to resume at 9 am on Monday.

Due to the disruption, many passengers were stranded, some of them sought shelter outside the airports. Passengers also complained that they were not informed about the suspension of flights in a timely manner.

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Meanwhile, Eastern Railway officials said the cyclone had affected the train schedules for Sunday and Monday. On the Sealdah section of the Eastern Railway, over 40 trains were cancelled and five trains were rescheduled.

“We are in touch with the meteorological departments and as a precautionary measure, we have set up camps for officials and staff at various places for immediate action if required. Pumping stations are open. Standby vehicles are also on standby. Hoardings have been removed as a precautionary measure. Some trains have been cancelled,” said Kaushik Mitra, Chief PRO, Eastern Railway.

In New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting to review preparedness for Cyclone Remal at his residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. The meeting was attended by First Secretary to the Prime Minister, Cabinet Secretary, Home Secretary, Director General (NDRF), Director General (IMD) and Member Secretary (NDMA).

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said, “The Prime Minister has been informed that the National Crisis Management Committee is in regular touch with the Government of West Bengal… The Prime Minister said that the Central Government has assured the State Government of its full support and must continue to do so. He said that the Home Ministry should monitor the situation and review it after the cyclone makes landfall to provide necessary support for reconstruction. The Prime Minister has directed that in addition to the 12 NDRF teams already deployed in West Bengal and one in Odisha, more teams should be kept on standby and ready to deploy within an hour. The Indian Coast Guard should deploy its assets for any emergency.”

In West Bengal, the state government set up a 24×7 control room at its Nabanna Secretariat to monitor the situation in the coastal districts and other areas. A control room has also been set up in Sundarbans to monitor the movement of the cyclone. “The control room will work with the police, disaster management teams, Kolkata Municipal Corporation and emergency response forces such as the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indian Coast Guard and Civil Defence,” the state government said.
While Prime Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed to the population to be safe and said, “This storm too shall pass,” Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said that sufficient NDRF rescue resources had been deployed in all areas where the cyclone could have an impact.

Earlier, the IMD had issued an alert of possible flooding and significant damage to various buildings, power and communication lines, roads, fields and orchards in South 24 and North 24 Parganas districts.

The state administration, NDRF and ICG had made announcements through loudspeakers to warn residents and advise them to be safe. The authorities have also set up flood relief camps for around 110,000 people who have been left homeless by the storm.

With ENS, New Delhi

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

First uploaded on: 27.05.2024 at 01:25 IST