Seven districts of North Bengal remained literally cut off from the rest of the State with heavy rains lashing the sub-Himalayan and adjoining regions for the past several days and threatening to pour down fury for another at least 72 hours, sources said.
Most wards of Coochbehar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, Raiganj, Balurghat and Malda had gone under water forcing the district administration to requisition boats to ferry people out to safety. In Malda water entered the Medical college campus, sources said.
Following heavy downpour the State Election Commission postponed the civic polls for Dhupguri board in Jalpaiguri district. Hundreds of acres of arable land went under water that entered tea gardens damaging crops, Rajib Banerjee State Irrigation Minister said adding rivers like Teesta, Torsha, Raidak, Jaldhaka, Mahanada, Karla, Phoolhar had either crossed danger lark or nearing it.
“All the district control rooms have been alerted and leaves cancelled” as about 50 lakh people were either displaced remained encircled by charging rivers from all sides. Incessant rains and landslides claimed two lives in Kurseong.
For the first time in many years trains services were disrupted to an extent that the trains linking North and South Bengal had to be cancelled. Important trains like Darjeeling Mail, Padatik Express, Teesta Torsha Express, Bangalore-Kamakhya Express, Kunchanjungha Express, Uttar Banga Express, were either cancelled or made to return from half the way, Eastern Railway officials.
“Water was running over railway lines in some places like Kishanganj in Katihar Division, CPRO Eastern Railway said adding DRMs had been asked to control the trains at relatively bigger stations so that the passengers did not have problem fetching food and other services. This even as many passengers a andoned journey mid-route either to return to Kolkata or take buses to reach their destination as the roads were still motorable though “no guarantee can be given for the future,” sources said.