State to set up four permanent helipads in South 24-Pgns

kolkata: The state government will come up with four permanent helipads at different places in South 24-Parganas to facilitate emergency evacuation in times of natural calamities.

The District Magistrate South 24-Parganas P. Ulaganathan in the month of July had sent the proposal of setting up such helipads to the state Transport department with frequent cyclones hitting the coastal belt of Bengal in the last few years.

Chief Secretary H.K. Dwivedi has given consent to the proposal and has asked the state Public Works Department to take necessary action in this regard.

According to a senior official in the district administration, the helipads will come up at Gosaba, Patharpratima, Kakdwip and Diamond Harbour II blocks.

"We have successfully managed to evacuate people from near the sea immediately after warning of such natural calamities. They have been offered shelter at cyclone centres or school buildings that have remained closed since March last year due to COVID-19 situation. But considering the frequency of the cyclones hitting the district in the last few years, it has been felt that it is necessary to have more helipads not only for faster evacuation in emergency but also to felicitate VIP movement," a senior official of the district administration said.

The existing helipad at Sagar Islands had often been found to remain inundated when such cyclones hit the state.It is learnt that nearly 6 acres have been identified at four places – Krishak Bazar ground under Gosaba gram panchayat, Gopalnagar gram panchayat under Patharpratima, Srinagar gram panchayat at Kakdwip and Mathur gram panchayat under Diamond Harbour II block. The coastal belt of South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore have been the worst-hit in the very severe cyclone Amphan in May 2020 and Yaas in June this year.

Though the prompt measures by the state government in shifting the residents from the coastal belt managed to prevent loss of human lives, there was heavy damage in terms of property, agriculture, fishing and other activities.