No fresh rainfall in north Bengal, people return to homes

Jalpaiguri: The flood-like situation improved in north Bengal districts on Monday with no fresh rainfall reported in the past 24 hours, officials said.

People who had sought shelter in higher grounds in the worst-affected Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts are returning to their residences, they said.

Water levels receded in most rivers that were flowing above the danger mark on Sunday, including Teesta, Torsa, Kaljani, Sankosh, Raidak, Korola, Shil and Ghish, the officials said.

The Met department has forecast isolated heavy rain in Alipurduar and Coochbehar districts till Wednesday and light to moderate rainfall in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur and Malda districts till July 20.

All the districts of north Bengal have been receiving heavy downpour over the past few days.

One person had died on Sunday after slipping into an overflowing drain in Shanupara area of Jalpaiguri district.

Meanwhile, workers of the closed Madhu tea estate in Alipurduar district staged a protest, demanding a check dam on Kalijhora river to prevent repeated inundation of the tea garden.