Nor’wester causes widespread damage in Malda; Rain to continue

Malda: A sudden Nor’wester (Kalbaishakhi) on Sunday night caused widespread damage across several areas of Malda district, uprooting trees, damaging houses and disrupting electricity. The storm, which struck at around 9 pm, affected English Bazar, Old Malda and Habibpur blocks along with other parts of the district.

In English Bazar, strong winds uprooted several trees and electric poles. In Ward No. 23, at least five electric poles were uprooted due to the storm. Local Trinamool councillor Sujit Saha said: “Within just a few minutes of the storm, several trees and electric poles in our ward were uprooted. Work has begun to clear the roads and restore electricity.”

According to Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury, chairman of the English Bazar Municipality, a large banyan tree fell in the Krishnapalli area of Ward No. 3. “Civic teams have been deployed to remove fallen trees and ensure normalcy in affected areas,” he said.

Heavy damage was also reported in Old Malda Municipality’s Ward No. 4, where the storm severely affected several localities. A furniture warehouse belonging to local resident Ranjan Das was badly damaged after the tin roof of the godown was blown away by strong winds. Several pieces of furniture and a television set were damaged, with the estimated loss running into more than Rs 1 lakh.

In the nearby Kalachand School ground, three large trees were uprooted, temporarily disrupting electricity and traffic in the area. Electricity department officials and police from Malda police station quickly reached the spot, while local councillor Nirmal Adhikari inspected the damage.

The storm also hit Habibpur block, where strong winds damaged several houses in Bulbulchandi and surrounding areas. Tin roofs of houses and even a temple were blown away, while glass doors and windows of several homes were shattered. Residents reported power outages throughout the night. Electricity department workers began restoration work from Monday morning.

Meanwhile, the meteorological department has predicted scattered thunderstorms and gusty winds of 30–40 kmph across Malda, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur districts till March 18.

The agriculture department has advised farmers to harvest mature crops quickly to minimise possible losses from rain and strong winds.