Cyclone ‘Dana’: CM announces closure of schools in 9 dists from Oct 23 to 26
Kolkata: With a low-pressure area expected to develop into a cyclonic storm by October 23 and projected to strike the Bengal and Odisha coast on October 24-25, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced on Tuesday the closure of state-run schools and ICDS centres in nine districts, including Kolkata, from October 23 to October 26 in light of Cyclone ‘Dana’.
The nine districts are East Midnapore, West Midnapore, South 24-Parganas, North 24-Parganas, Jhargram, Bankura, Hooghly, Howrah and Kolkata.
“We have announced early closure of the schools as a precautionary measure so that nobody faces any inconveniences,” Banerjee said at a press conference in Nabanna.
Banerjee stated that tourist activities near the sea beaches have already been restricted as a precautionary measure.
In the wake of the cyclone, ferry movements will remain suspended in different districts in the state, particularly the three coastal districts—South 24-Parganas, North 24-Parganas and East Midnapore which are likely to be most affected by the cyclonic storm.
Moreover, Kolkata Police will be operating a special control room which will start functioning from Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the department of Higher Education has directed authorities at various higher educational institutions in eight districts to close down from October 23 to 26.
Earlier, the West Bengal Disaster Management and Civil Defence wrote to school education and Higher education and women and child development departments to close the institutions.
The Chief Minister also added that the fishermen have been advised to refrain from venturing to the deep sea.
“The district administrations have been advised to shift the people staying in low-lying areas to safer places that include cyclone shelters as well as school buildings,” Banerjee maintained.
Round-the-clock control rooms in the state as well as the district level have already been made operational and adequate relief materials have already been sent to the districts, Banerjee said.
She reiterated that the state government is fully prepared to tackle any situation.
Principal secretaries of various departments have been assigned the responsibility to monitor the districts that are likely to be affected.
Manish Jain will oversee South 24-Parganas while Rajesh Sinha will monitor North 24-Parganas.
Parvez Siddiqui will keep a tab on East Midnapore while Rajesh Pandey will be overseeing situations in Howrah, Surendra Gupta in West Midnapore, Onkar Singh Meena in Hooghly, Saumitra Mohan in Jhargram and Avanindra Singh Bankura.
The ministers who are from the coastal districts and from those who are likely to bear the brunt of the cyclone have been directed to stay in their respective areas to oversee the situation.
“We have our Cabinet meeting at Nabanna on October 24, but in the backdrop of the cyclone, the ministers concerning the likely vulnerable areas and those far away from Kolkata have been asked to avoid coming to Kolkata for the meeting,” Banerjee said.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a low-pressure over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression early Tuesday and is on course to evolve into a severe cyclonic storm, ‘Dana’. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has positioned 14 teams in Bengal and 11 in Odisha, ready for deployment.
The depression was approximately 730 km southeast of Paradip, Odisha, moving west-northwest early in the morning.
The storm is projected to land between Puri in Odisha and Sagar Island in Bengal as a severe cyclonic storm sometime between the night of October 24 and the morning of October 25 with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph with gusting 120 kmph.
“A low-pressure area is very likely to form over the east-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining North Andaman Sea during the next 24 hours. It is very likely to move west-north-westwards and intensify into a depression by October 22 morning and into a cyclonic storm by October 23 over east-central Bay of Bengal,” the IMD said in its latest bulletin.
