Cyclone Remal: 3 injured, traffic disrupted in Kolkata; Tripura, Assam on alert
Though Cyclone Remal has weakened into a cyclonic storm in West Bengal and Bangladesh after leaving a trial of destruction, neighbouring Assam and Tripura are bracing for heavy rainfall
Three persons were injured and vehicular movement was disrupted in several parts of Kolkata in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal, which had made landfall in West Bengal and neighbouring Bangladesh.
In Bangladesh, however, at least seven people were killed and millions were left without power as Cyclone Remal lashed the coasts of Bangladesh with devastating winds of up to 120 kph and storm surges, inundating hundreds of villages.
However, the severe Remal weakened into a cyclonic storm on Monday morning, sustaining wind speeds of 80-90 kilometres per hour, following landfall around midnight of Sunday, the Met Department said.
It is likely to move northeastwards and weaken further, the department said in a bulletin.
A woman walks past an uprooted tree during rain in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal's landfall, in Kolkata, Monday, May 27, 2024. Photo: PTI
Widespread devastation
Scenes of widespread devastation were evident across West Bengal's coastal areas, with extensive damage to infrastructure and property, a day after Cyclone Remal tore through the coasts of Bangladesh and West Bengal with winds reaching speeds of 135 km per hour.
The cyclone ravaged adjacent coasts of the state and Bangladesh between Sagar Island and Khepupara, near the southwest of Mongla in the neighbouring country, after its landfall process began at 8.30 pm on Sunday, officials said.
Efforts to restore normality are underway, with emergency services working to clear debris and restore power in the affected areas.
Water-logging and trees uprooted
In Kolkata, reports of uprooting of trees were received from Southern Avenue, Lake Place, Chetla, D L Khan Road, Dufferin Road, Ballygunge Road, New Alipore, Behala, Jadavpur, Golpark, Hatibagan, Jagat Mukherjee Park and College Street, as well as the city’s adjoining Salt Lake area.
Around 68 trees were uprooted in Kolkata, and another 75 in nearby Salt Lake and Rajarhat area.
“Water-logging was reported from various places including Southern Avenue, Lake View Road, Pratapaditya Road, Tollygunge Phari, Alipore and Central Avenue, resulting in traffic diversion,” a senior officer of Kolkata Traffic Police said.
Three persons have suffered injuries in Manicktala area after the cyclone struck, though the exact cause is yet to be known, an official said.
Flight and train services
Meanwhile, train services in the Sealdah South section of Eastern Railway resumed at 9 am after remaining suspended for three hours in the morning, an ER official said. Flight services from the Kolkata airport also resumed on Monday morning after being suspended for 21 hours in view of the cyclone, a senior Airports Authority of India (AAI) official said.
The first plane to depart on Monday was IndiGo’s Kolkata-Port Blair flight at 8.59 am, while the first one to land in Kolkata was SpiceJet’s flight from Guwahati. It landed at 09.50 am, an Airports Authority of India (AAI) top official said.
Though the process of resuming flight operations has begun, it will take some more time for the situation to become normal, sources at the airport said.
Metro services disrupted
However, operations of the Kolkata Metro were disrupted between Girish Park and Mahanayak Uttam Kumar stations, due to waterlogging on the tracks at Park Street and Esplanade stations, another official said.
Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim said the municipal corporation was trying to address the situation on war footing.
"The situation is not that worse compared to what it was when Cyclone Amphan hit. The trees are being removed to make way for traffic. The drainage pumps are also operating at full stregth," Hakim told PTI.
Meanwhile, Governor C V Ananda Bose said in a message issued by the Raj Bhavan: "We are all greatly relieved that no reported casualty is there. Cyclone Remal is weakening. The people of Bengal are able to brave it with courage. We are keeping a watch on the situation. If there is any need, Raj Bhavan's doors are open for all." Bose has also constituted a task force at the Raj Bhavan.
Kolkata had recorded a rainfall of 146 mm in the period between 8.30 am on Sunday and 5.30 am of Monday, said the Met bulletin.
Assam prepares for heavy rainfall
Meanwhile, several districts of neighbouring Assam are on high alert in the wake of forecast for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall from Monday under the impact of Cyclone Remal.
The administration has urged people to maintain safety measures, and set up helpline numbers in case of emergency. Several parts of Assam, including Guwahati, received rainfall since late Sunday evening, bringing down soaring mercury levels in the state.
No reports of damage due to the impact of the cyclone have been received yet, official sources said. An Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) release said the India Meteorological Department has warned of extremely heavy rainfall over Assam along with other northeastern states on Monday and Tuesday.
Tripura on alert
A red alert has also been sounded in two districts in Tripura - Sepahijala and Gumati - in anticipation of heavy to very heavy rainfall during the day while an orange alert has been sounded in the remaining six districts of the state.
This information was given to PTI by the director of Indian Meteorological department, Agartala, Partha Roy.
“Thunderstorm is very likely to occur over six districts due to the cyclone. Light to moderate rain and thunderstorm with lightning accompanied by gusty wind speed reaching 30-40 kmph is very likely to occur at many places over South, Gumati, Sepahijala, Dhalai and Khowai districts,” Roy said.
The northeastern state is unlikely to be severely affected by the cyclonic storm as it made landfall in coastal areas of West Bengal and Bangladesh which is far away, he said.
Remal is the first cyclone in the Bay of Bengal ahead of this year's monsoon season, which runs from June to September. The cyclone was named Remal (meaning sand in Arabic) by Oman, according to a system of naming cyclones in the Indian Ocean region.
