As cyclone Fani advances towards Odisha to make its landfall by Friday, the West Bengal government is leaving no stone unturned to fight its impact in the coastal districts of South Bengal and areas close to Bangladesh border.
As cyclone Fani advances towards Odisha to make its landfall by Friday, the West Bengal government is leaving no stone unturned to fight its impact in the coastal districts of South Bengal and areas close to Bangladesh border.
Costal districts of East Midnapore and South 24 Parganas have been put on high alert, while Nadia, Hooghly, Howrah, Jhargram, North 24 Parganas, West Midnapore and Kolkata are likely to be affected by the cyclone. Murshidabad and Birbhum districts may receive heavy rainfall, according to the meteorological department.
All flights to and from Kolkata between 9.30pm on May 3 and 6pm on May 4 have been cancelled and the airport will remain non-operational during the time period, Kaushik Bhattacharya, Director of Kolkata airport told The Indian Express. “This is the first time that the airport will be shut for such a long duration but safety is our priority,” he added. The cyclone is likely to cross over to Bangladesh on May 4, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The state government has set up a 24×7 monitoring committee to manage cyclone-related emergencies. Chief Secretary Malay De chaired a high-level meeting at the state secretariat where officers of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) were present.
“The administration in coastal districts have been put on on high alert and the chief secretary held a meeting with all departments concerned. We have opened a 24×7 control room and will do round-the-clock monitoring,” said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at an election rally in Rajarhat. She also said that she will be stationed in Midnapore in the next two days to monitor the situation.
“Please stay safe. Fishermen have been asked to not to venture into the sea. Tourists have been requested to vacate the sea resort town of Digha. All the officials are on high alert. We are prepared to tackle the situation,” Banerjee added.
The SBSTC will operate about 50 buses on May 3 to evacuate stranded tourists from Digha.
District administration officials in coastal districts have advised tourists to leave the area and asked them not to venture into the sea. Fishermen were being alerted through loudspeakers in Digha, West Midnapore, and Bakhali, South 24 Parganas.
The state government has also ordered the closure of all schools in the state from Friday and has written to the CBSE and CISCE, requesting them to emulate the same vacation schedule in their schools.
“In compliance with the order of the Principal Secretary, School Education Department of Government of West Bengal, this is notified that due to predicted severe cyclonic storm Fani that is likely to hit coastal areas and the extreme hot weather conditions prevailing in the state, the classes of all recognised secondary institutions of the state will remain suspended from May 3 to June 30. The school authorities are advised to comply with the order,” reads the notification by education department.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has cancelled all leaves of the staff and ordered evacuation of people from dilapidated buildings in the city. Arrangements are being made to provide temporary shelter for the occupants in school buildings, said Firhad Hakim, KMC Mayor.
District administration of West Midnapore held a special meeting with NDRF and other agencies to discuss the preparedness. Yogesh Singh Sengar, Deputy Commandant (Second Battalion) of the National Disaster Response Force, Keya Dole, panchayat chief, and Kalyan Jana, deputy chief of the panchayat, attended the meeting.
“We have asked the people not to panic. Awareness is important and we are reaching out to as many people as we can to inform them about the cyclone,” said an NDRF official.
“Together we can fight any natural disaster,” said Keya Dole, panchayat chief.
The Railways have arranged breakdown vans and relief trains to be deployed in affected areas. Railway officials said they are coordinating with local authorities and disaster management teams. The East Coast Railway has issued an advisory to cancel or regulate trains operating on areas that might get affected by the cyclone.
PS Mishra, General Manager of South Eastern Railway, said he was personally monitoring the situation. Help desks have been opened at Kharagpur, Balasore, Shalimar and Howrah. Catering units have been advised to stock adequate drinking water, tea and dry food items.
“No trains will operate in the Bhadrak-Bhubaneswar-Puri-Visakhapatnam section. Trains towards Bhubaneswar, Puri, Visakhapatnam and other destinations in the southern region may be cancelled, diverted, regulated or re-scheduled,” said a statement from the Railways.
Special trains have been operating to ferry pilgrims from Bengal who are stranded in Puri. “The first train will leave Puri at noon on Friday, second special train to Howrah will leave by 3pm and the third train at 6pm. These trains will stop at Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jaipur Keonjhar road, Bhadrak, Baleshwar and Kharagpur,” Mishra added.
Costal districts of East Midnapore and South 24 Parganas have been put on high alert, while Nadia, Hooghly, Howrah, Jhargram, North 24 Parganas, West Midnapore and Kolkata are likely to be affected by the cyclone. Murshidabad and Birbhum districts may receive heavy rainfall, according to the meteorological department.
All flights to and from Kolkata between 9.30pm on May 3 and 6pm on May 4 have been cancelled and the airport will remain non-operational during the time period, Kaushik Bhattacharya, Director of Kolkata airport told The Indian Express. “This is the first time that the airport will be shut for such a long duration but safety is our priority,” he added. The cyclone is likely to cross over to Bangladesh on May 4, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The state government has set up a 24×7 monitoring committee to manage cyclone-related emergencies. Chief Secretary Malay De chaired a high-level meeting at the state secretariat where officers of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) were present.
“The administration in coastal districts have been put on on high alert and the chief secretary held a meeting with all departments concerned. We have opened a 24×7 control room and will do round-the-clock monitoring,” said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at an election rally in Rajarhat. She also said that she will be stationed in Midnapore in the next two days to monitor the situation.
“Please stay safe. Fishermen have been asked to not to venture into the sea. Tourists have been requested to vacate the sea resort town of Digha. All the officials are on high alert. We are prepared to tackle the situation,” Banerjee added.
The SBSTC will operate about 50 buses on May 3 to evacuate stranded tourists from Digha.
District administration officials in coastal districts have advised tourists to leave the area and asked them not to venture into the sea. Fishermen were being alerted through loudspeakers in Digha, West Midnapore, and Bakhali, South 24 Parganas.
The state government has also ordered the closure of all schools in the state from Friday and has written to the CBSE and CISCE, requesting them to emulate the same vacation schedule in their schools.
“In compliance with the order of the Principal Secretary, School Education Department of Government of West Bengal, this is notified that due to predicted severe cyclonic storm Fani that is likely to hit coastal areas and the extreme hot weather conditions prevailing in the state, the classes of all recognised secondary institutions of the state will remain suspended from May 3 to June 30. The school authorities are advised to comply with the order,” reads the notification by education department.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has cancelled all leaves of the staff and ordered evacuation of people from dilapidated buildings in the city. Arrangements are being made to provide temporary shelter for the occupants in school buildings, said Firhad Hakim, KMC Mayor.
District administration of West Midnapore held a special meeting with NDRF and other agencies to discuss the preparedness. Yogesh Singh Sengar, Deputy Commandant (Second Battalion) of the National Disaster Response Force, Keya Dole, panchayat chief, and Kalyan Jana, deputy chief of the panchayat, attended the meeting.
“We have asked the people not to panic. Awareness is important and we are reaching out to as many people as we can to inform them about the cyclone,” said an NDRF official.
“Together we can fight any natural disaster,” said Keya Dole, panchayat chief.
The Railways have arranged breakdown vans and relief trains to be deployed in affected areas. Railway officials said they are coordinating with local authorities and disaster management teams. The East Coast Railway has issued an advisory to cancel or regulate trains operating on areas that might get affected by the cyclone.
PS Mishra, General Manager of South Eastern Railway, said he was personally monitoring the situation. Help desks have been opened at Kharagpur, Balasore, Shalimar and Howrah. Catering units have been advised to stock adequate drinking water, tea and dry food items.
“No trains will operate in the Bhadrak-Bhubaneswar-Puri-Visakhapatnam section. Trains towards Bhubaneswar, Puri, Visakhapatnam and other destinations in the southern region may be cancelled, diverted, regulated or re-scheduled,” said a statement from the Railways.
Special trains have been operating to ferry pilgrims from Bengal who are stranded in Puri. “The first train will leave Puri at noon on Friday, second special train to Howrah will leave by 3pm and the third train at 6pm. These trains will stop at Khurda Road, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Jaipur Keonjhar road, Bhadrak, Baleshwar and Kharagpur,” Mishra added.