Ahead of Cyclone Dana’s landfall in neighbouring Odisha Thursday midnight, the state administration in West Bengal was racing against time to evacuate people and bring them to safe shelters with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee monitoring the situation from the Kolkata control room.
By late Thursday evening, government officials said the evacuation process has been completed with over 3.5 lakh people brought to shelters in eight districts of the state, including Kolkata, Howrah, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Bankura and Hooghly.
By Thursday evening, the cyclonic storm, located 150 km southeast of Paradip (Odisha) and 250 km south-southeast of Sagar Island (West Bengal), approached towards the subcontinent.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that the cyclone is likely to make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port late Thursday night or early Friday morning.
Chief Minister Banerjee said the state administration has identified more than 3.5 lakh people for evacuation from low-lying areas. “For evacuation from low-lying areas, we have identified a total of 356,941 people… The numbers of evacuees will further increase. There are 851 relief camps and shelters. However, I will ask people not to panic and instead keep vigil,” the CM said earlier in the day while heading to a 24×7 monitor in Kolkata, where she was planning to stay overnight.
Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty were also overseeing the evacuation and relief operations. “I seek your cooperation. Be alert. If the police or the administration ask you to evacuate, please heed their advice,” the chief minister said, adding, “Do not venture into the waters. Fishing is prohibited now.”
“This is a natural calamity. Just recently, we witnessed devastating floods in the state. We are alert and officials in the districts have been told to be in their offices till morning and monitor the situation. Helpline numbers have been announced,” added Banerjee.
“I know cyclone (Dana) will not hit our state but our state will be equally affected. So, please obey what the administration is saying at least for this night,” the CM pleaded to people through the media. She urged people to avoid spreading rumours and creating panic. She emphasized that the state government’s 24/7 helpline (2214 3526) was operational for sharing information and monitoring the cyclone. “I will be at the state secretariat throughout the night, we will continue to monitor the situation,” Banerjee said. “Please cooperate with us and stay safe,” she said.
For relief and rescue operations, the government has already deployed a large contingent of the police force, district administration officials, disaster management officials on the ground, 22 companies of NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) and SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) were deployed. The coastal areas were put on high alert.
Among those evacuated were also pregnant women due for delivery within the next 15 days.
“Pregnant women, who are due for deliveries, have been brought here to Sagar Gramin Hospital. This is for precaution. In this hospital alone, 100 such women have been admitted…,” said Bhabani Maity, healthcare worker attached to Sagar Gramin Hospital in South 24 Parganas.
Meanwhile, south Bengal districts of Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly and South 24 Parganas, have already begun experiencing moderate to heavy rains and gusty winds on Thursday, with weather conditions expected to worsen.
The IMD has warned of “heavy to very heavy rainfall” in these areas, with isolated places likely to see “extremely heavy downpours” over the next 48 hours.
Fishermen have been advised to stay away from the sea as wind speeds of up to 110 km/h (68 mph) are anticipated over the northwest Bay of Bengal. The storm is expected to strengthen, with winds reaching 120 km/h (75 mph) during landfall before gradually subsiding.
Public transport across southern districts of the state was severely impacted.
The South Eastern Railway, which oversees routes in West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand, has cancelled more than 170 express and passenger trains scheduled between October 23 and 27.
In addition, Eastern Railway cancelled 68 suburban trains in the Howrah division for Friday morning, while all EMU local trains from Sealdah station were suspended from Thursday evening through Friday morning. The train service again will start on Friday 10am.
Kolkata Port authorities also halted ship movements until Friday evening.
Operations at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport were suspended from 6 pm on Thursday until 9 am on Friday due to expected high winds and heavy rain.
Airport Director Pravat Ranjan Beuria said precautions have been taken, including securing planes, retracting aerobridges, and ensuring all loose equipment are tied.
“Following the standard operating procedure, all vehicles used in the airside of the airport will be removed from the operational area,” Beuria said, adding that “pumps are on standby to prevent waterlogging on the premises”.
The Indian Coast Guard has mobilised vessels and aircraft to respond to any distress situations at sea. Ferry services in the Sundarbans, across the Hooghly River in Kolkata have been suspended, and KMC opened a control room to manage the situation.
Private Telecom operators have implemented emergency measures, including securing fuel supplies, deploying extra manpower, monitoring networks through dedicated war rooms, and enabling Intra-Circle Roaming services to maintain uninterrupted connectivity. — With PTI