Norwester wreaks havoc in Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, massive damage reported

Siliguri/ Jalpaiguri: A sudden and intense storm, accompanied by heavy rain and lightning, triggered widespread destruction across Siliguri and adjoining areas, as well as parts of Jalpaiguri district on Monday night, leaving several homes damaged and disrupting power supply in multiple locations.

In Fulbari-II Gram Panchayat, several houses were severely damaged. Around 25 houses made out of tin in the Jaydev Bhita area near Jatiyakali were affected, with some completely collapsing and others damaged by uprooted trees. Many areas were plunged into darkness after electric poles were damaged and power supply was disrupted.

In Naxalbari, localities such as Bengai Jote, Phutani More, and Rathkhola witnessed similar devastation. Strong winds uprooted over a hundred trees, damaging at least five houses and snapping electric wires, leaving several villages without power.

Siliguri city was also impacted, with trees falling in multiple areas. In Shaktigarh in ward number 31, a massive tree fell on a house, trapping two residents who were later rescued by fire brigade personnel. At Gandhi Maidan in Ward No. 8, a large banyan tree collapsed onto a shop, narrowly missing the shopkeeper. Electric poles were damaged in wards 1 and 28 as well.

Emergency teams, including the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, police, fire services and disaster management units, launched restoration work overnight. Soon after the storm, Mayor Gautam Deb visited affected areas. On Monday morning, too, he revisited all the affected sites in Siliguri and assured all possible help.

The storm also wreaked havoc across Jalpaiguri Sadar, Rajganj, and Maynaguri blocks. Strong winds uprooted trees in several places and blew off the roofs of numerous rural houses. Electricity services were severely disrupted as poles collapsed and wires snapped.

Police personnel and Civil Defence volunteers worked through the night to restore normalcy. The worst-affected areas included Dharmapur, Padamati 1, and Padamati 2 gram panchayats. Similar storm conditions were reported in Maynaguri, Malbazar and Jalpaiguri town, where falling trees and damaged electric lines added to the disruption.

Residents described moments of panic as the storm swept through the region. After the situation stabilised, administrative officials, including Maynaguri BDO Prasenjit Kundu, visited the affected areas to assess

the damage.

“A few minutes of storm caused damage in several gram panchayat areas. The extent of the loss is being assessed,” the BDO said.

Authorities are continuing restoration work while assessing the full extent

of the damage.