Cyclone Dana approaching Bengal. Admin taking measures. Transport affected
Cyclone Dana is expected to make landfall between midnight tonight and early tomorrow morning. The place of landfall would be the coast between Bhitarkanika and Dhamara in northern Odisha, about 350 km from Kolkata. As of 9 pm, Dana was approximately 90 km from Sagar Island.
Upon landfall, the cyclone is expected to pick up a speed of up to 190 kilometres per hour (kmph). Kolkata is expected, as per some expert predictions, to experience winds of speeds of 40-80 kmph.
Weather experts said that Dana is travelling comparatively slowly, and that means that it s picking up energy from the sea. Consequently, upon landfall, it could turn into a severe storm.
The coastal regions of East Medinipur and West Medinipur districts are expected to be majorly affected, as well as parts of North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Kolkata. A few districts in northern Bengal might feels the effects of Dana later as it moves towards north-eastern India.
The Bengal government has opened the flood shelters where people have started arriving. Food and drinking water have been arranged, say administration sources, though people in some areas are saying that the arrangements are not adequate.
Over the last three to four days, mud embankments have been strengthened by the state Irrigation Department. Newer ones are being built as well. A common gripe of many locals, though, is that such work needs to be done throughout the year so that the quality of work is better and more can be achieved.
CM on night watch
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her team of officials will remain in the control room at the state secretariat Nabanna all through the night to direct damage control measures, and so will Power Minister Arup Biswas.
The 24-hour Nabanna helplines are 1070 (toll-free) and (033) 22143526. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation helpline is (033) 22861414.
Transport affected
All local trains from 11 pm today to 10 am tomorrow in the Sealdah South Section and Howrah East Section have been cancelled, numbering 190 trains and 68 trains, respectively.
All flights to and from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata are cancelled till 9 am tomorrow, for a period of 15 hours.
All ferry services in Kolkata and Howrah too remain cancelled on Thursday and Friday. Buses from Kolkata run by the South Bengal State Transport Corporation are suspended, which is expected to remain so tomorrow.
