‘Remal’ leaves trail of destruction; at least 6 dead; CM assures assistance

Kolkata: At least six people died in Bengal and its coastal areas suffered extensive damage to infrastructure and property, as Cyclone ‘Remal’ left a trail of devastation through the state. Expressing her concern over the impact of cyclone while addressing an election rally in Burrabazar on Monday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee assured that her government would extend all help to the affected.

Mamata said that the prompt response of the administration checked the number of casualties. She said that might be holding an election rally but her heart lied with the affected people. She further stated that her mind was filled with thoughts of providing cyclone relief and help to the affected people, asserting that her administration is taking all necessary steps to alleviate people’s sufferings and that she is continuously monitoring the situation.

Cyclone ‘Remal’ made a landfall late on Sunday night unleashing winds up to 135 kmph. Roofs of thatched huts were blown away in the coastal areas, uprooted trees blocked roads in Kolkata as well as in the districts. Electricity poles were knocked down causing significant power disruption in several parts.

In a post on X, Banerjee said: “Bengal is a land of rivers and situated at the coast of Bay-of-Bengal. Hence it faces natural calamities almost every year. A huge damage to the property has taken place due to the cyclone. Loss of human lives was checked due to the alertness of the administration.”

“I express my condolences to the family members who have lost their dear ones. Financial assistance would reach them soon. Administration would ascertain the extent of damages in the farmland as well as houses. We will act promptly once the model code of conduct (MCC) is lifted. Our corporations and Panchayats have taken people to 1,400 camps,” she further stated. It was learnt that she spoke with chief secretary B P Gopalika to assess the extent of devastation caused by the cyclone and the measures being taken to address the aftermath. She also enquired about the extent of damage, including uprooted electric poles and trees, and the progress of restoration efforts.

According to the state administration report, 2,500 houses are reported to be damaged while another 27,000 partially damaged due to the effect of the heavy wind speed that reached 120 km/hour at Sagar and 90 km/ hour at Dum Dum. More than 2 lakh people were evacuated to safer places and relief camps.

North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas and East Midnapore districts reported widespread damage. Tidal waves were seen crashing into a seawall in Digha on Sunday and Monday. The MeT office has forecast more rain in Kolkata and the southern districts including Nadia and Murshidabad, with one or two spells of intense downpour, along with gusty surface winds till Tuesday morning. A total of 14 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were deployed for relief and restoration work in Kolkata, North and South 24-Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly.

State Power Minister Aroop Biswas said the disruptions and damage to the power supply infrastructure caused by Cyclone ‘Remal’ will be addressed soon. He mentioned that there had been one or two incidents of power outages in the CESC area, due to fallen trees.

A man died when a wall collapsed due to the relentless downpour on Sunday evening at the Bibir Bagan area of Entally.

An elderly woman in the Mousuni Island near Namkhana adjacent to the Sunderbans delta also succumbed to injuries on Monday morning, following a tree collapse on her hut. A 53-year-old woman, a resident of South 24-Parganas Budge Budge died after being electrocuted. A 47-year-old man died in North 24-Parganas’ Panihati after being electrocuted.

While several pockets of Kolkata remained waterlogged on Monday morning, suburban train services from the Sealdah remained partially-suspended for at least three hours, adding to commuters’ woes. Train movement in Sealdah South section was suspended till 9:00 am on Monday as a safety measure considering the incessant rain and severe storm occurrence following the landfall of ‘Remal,’ which took place on Sunday.

Metro services were disrupted till 12 pm after tracks between Park Street and Esplanade were waterlogged. It was further stated that there was no cancellation of Mail or Express trains. Flight services at the Kolkata airport resumed on Monday morning after remaining suspended for 21 hours in view of ‘Remal’. There were several flight diversions.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) worked on war footing to drain the stagnant water while clearing uprooted trees from the city streets.

KMC had deployed teams to drain the stagnant water using drainage pumps. This apart, teams from the parks and squares department were deployed with heavy machinery to clear the uprooted trees.