At least two persons were killed and several others injured as severe cyclonic storm Remal hit Bengal coasts on Sunday night, sources at State secretariat Nabanna said, adding the NDRF and SDRF teams were working overtime to restore normalcy in affected areas most of which lie in the vicinity of Sunderbans.
Though the speed of the storm reduced to a great degree by Monday morning, incessant rains continued to lash eight districts of South Bengal nearly throwing life out of gear.
The first death occurred after a wall collapsed under the impact of the rains at Bibir Bagan near Park Circus and Entally area of Kolkata, police said. Another person died when a tree collapsed under the impact of driving rains and gusting winds at 135 kmph at Mousuni Islands at the mouth of Bay of Bengal off Sunderbans.
At least eight other persons were injured at various places in Kolkata and Kakdwip, sources said. Severe cyclone Remal made landfall between Sagar Islands in Bengal and Khepupara in neighbouring Bangladesh, sources said on Monday.
Rivers surrounding most of the riverine islands — like Jharkhali, Geokhali, Kumirmari, Sandeshkhali Block I, Godkhali, Bakkhali, Gosaba — of the Sunderbans areas in two 24 Parganas districts were almost brimming and threatening to breach or overflow their mud embankments — under the impact of high tide and gushing rains — sources said, adding in many villages the embankments had been breached and salty water had entered the agricultural fields.
“This flooding of the fields could have a deep impact on the local economy as there would be no agriculture for several years now,” said former Minister from Sunderbans Kanti Ganguli who was actively involved in rescue work.
By Monday evening the storm had nearly stopped but rains were still continuing. “Severe Cyclonic Storm Remal over Coastal Bangladesh and adjoining Coastal West Bengal weakened into a cyclonic storm about 70km northeast of Canning and 30km west-southwest of Mongla on May 27. The system is likely to gradually weaken further,” said India Meteorological Department post.
“We have deployed appropriate number of teams all over Kolkata and adjoining areas to clear the uprooted trees and reach relief to people affected by the cyclone,” Kolkata Mayor and Bengal Minister Firhad Hakim said, adding 14 teams of NDRF were working at various locations with modern equipment, cranes to hasten relief work.
Disaster management teams of Kolkata Police and Kolkata Municipal Corporation which had cancelled all the leaves of its staff were working overtime to bring things to normal.
Properties and infrastructure were damaged due to storm and rains, vehicles were shattered under fallen trees which had been uprooted at various places in Kolkata KMC sources said, adding scores of full-grown trees had uprooted blocking roads at Golpark, Jadavpur, Southern Avenue, Ballygunge Road, Alipore, DL Khan Road, Sarat Bose Road, Dufferin Road, Hatibagan, College Street, Jagat Mukherjee Park, Behala and elsewhere.
Meanwhile, candidates of all political parties rose up to the occasion visiting interior areas by taking time out of electoral campaigns amid complaints of deficient service, BJP leaders said, “Cyclones like Remal showed what sin the TMC has committed by eating away the funds meant for Prime Minister housing scheme.”
This even as hundreds of kuccha houses were either flooded with water or had collapsed. CPI(M)’s Pratikur Rehman said even TMC’s Jaynagar candidate Pratima Mandal was seen running from area to area to listen to the complaints of the people. “The problem is we cannot reach relief now as the model code of conduct is in vogue but still we have requested the administration to take adequate steps,” she said.
Elsewhere in Kolkata as the ferocity of storms reduced flights and ferry service, as also train services resumed from Monday morning, sources said.