Cyclone 'Dana' to bring very heavy rain in south Bengal, over 150 trains cancelled

Kolkata: Cyclonic storm 'Dana', which formed over east-central Bay of Bengal on Wednesday, is set to bring heavy rainfall in several south Bengal districts, including Kolkata, the IMD said.

Eastern and South Eastern railways cancelled over 150 trains on October 24 and 25, in view of the cyclone.

The storm is likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm over northwest Bay of Bengal and make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra port in Odisha early Friday with wind speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour (kmph), the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The cyclone lay 520 km southeast of Paradip and 600 km south-southeast of Sagar Island at 8.30 am on Wednesday, it said.

The Met warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy downpours in isolated places in the south Bengal districts of North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly districts on October 24 and 25.

Advising fishermen not to venture into the sea from October 23 to 25, the Met warned that wind speed is likely to reach 60 kmph along and off Odisha-West Bengal coasts from October 23 and gradually increase to 120 kmph, from October 24 night till October 25 morning.

More than 150 express and passenger trains running through South Eastern Railway (SER) jurisdiction have been cancelled in view of the severe cyclonic storm, an official said.

The trains cancelled were scheduled to depart their originating stations between October 23 and 25, the SER official said, adding that more trains running through the SER zone may be cancelled if the situation demands.

The Kolkata-headquartered SER zone is spread across West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand.

The Eastern Railway (ER) will not operate any EMU local train from Sealdah station from 8 pm on October 24 till 10 am on October 25 in view of the cyclonic storm 'Dana' over the Bay of Bengal, an official said.

The step was taken as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of train passengers in the Sealdah division that serves six districts of West Bengal - North 24 Praganas, South 24 Praganas, Nadia, Murshidabad, Kolkata and Howrah.

The official said that the last train from Hasnabad and Namkhana stations, which are close to the coastal areas in North and South 24 Parganas districts, will depart towards Sealdah by 7 pm on October 24.

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said it is on high alert and has mobilised its vessels and aircraft to respond swiftly to any contingency over the Bay of Bengal.

It said the ICG has mobilised its vessels and aircraft, positioning them strategically to respond swiftly to any emergencies.

The NDRF said it has so far deployed 13 teams across south Bengal to respond to any emergency situation.

West Bengal Power Minister Aroop Biswas held a video conference with district power officials to coordinate preparedness to tackle any eventuality owing to the cyclonic storm, an official said.

Biswas sought to assure the public that round-the-clock assistance and services by power department officials would be provided in the event of any power disruption.

Biswas also held a meeting with officials of the power department and private utility CESC, which serves Kolkata and some adjoining areas.

The power department announced helpline numbers 8900793503, 19221 (WBSEDCL) and 1912 (CESC) for the public to call in case of any emergency.