Bengal inches back to normalcy as 17,000 civic workers engage in restoration works
Kolkata: 72 hours after Amphan devastated several districts in West Bengal, life in nine of cyclone-ravaged districts such as North and South 24 Parganas, Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, East and West Midnapore and East Burdwan is limping back to normalcy.
The power situation in Kolkata and its adjoining districts has now improved significantly after trees fell on supply lines in the city and transformers developed mechanical snags in the aftermath of the cyclone. As traffic along the main arterial roads in Kolkata was restored on Sunday, many people who had been evacuated from North and South 24 Parganas started returning homes.
Chairman of the Board of Administrators, Firhad Hakim said traffic along main roads had been restored and that the Army, along with National Disaster Relief Force personnel and State Disaster Relief Force personnel were working tirelessly to bring back normalcy to the state with crucial help from conservancy workers of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
He added that 17,000 civic workers were engaged in helping the state recover from the cyclone and that there will be no leave for him and other employees on Eid.
The State Home Department on Sunday tweeted," CESC reports to GOWB that major parts of the following areas have been restored with power: Jadavpur, Selimpur, Mukundapur, Survey Park, Patuli, Regent Estate, NSC Bose Road, Behala Chowrasta, James Long Sarani, Silpara, Lake Town Jessore Road, Nagerbazar, Rashbehari Connector, BB Chatterjee Road. Most water and drainage pumping stations energized."
Other areas where power has been restored include Garia, Bansdroni, Kestopur, Baguihati, Teghoria, Salt Late, New Town, Barasat, Tamluk, Egra, Contai, Krishnanagr, Santipur, Ranghat, Gayespur and Kalyani, as per the Home department. The WBSEDCL further reported that the power had been restored to major parts of Nadia and East Midnapore. "Power has been restored to most of the PHE water supply and hospitals. Most of the irrigation pumping stations are operational now," the Home department further tweeted.
The state electricity board also said that 213 of the 273 substations damaged in the Amphan-affected districts had been revived and that continuous repair works in high and low tension lines in all areas are being conducted to expedite household power connections. Laskarhat (EM Bypass), Patipukur, Belgachia, Maniktala Main Road, Lord's More, Haripada Dutta Lane and Bakhtiyar Shah Road also got power back on Sunday. Significant parts of rural Hooghly and Chandannagore along with Halishahar and Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas also got power back. In the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited, out of 700 transformers that got grounded, 670 have been restored.
Abhijit Ghosh, Vice President (Distribution Services), CESC said additional workforce will be deployed to bring back normalcy to power services. "Some generators have been deployed to restore power in pumping stations and some housing complexes. In vast areas in the city, power has been restored. By Tuesday we will get a better picture," he said. However, power is yet to be restored in some pockets of Behala such as Bhattacharya Para. Some areas in Ekbalpore and Mominpur still have ankle-deep water from the cyclone as KMC drainage pumps could not be operated due to lack of power and the CESC spokesperson has also admitted that power has not been restored in some areas but that work on that front continues.
