Cyclone Dana: Red alerts across WB; several flights, trains cancelled

Kolkata: The West Bengal administration is on high alert as Cyclone Dana is expected to make landfall between Bhitarkanika in Kendrapara district and the Dhamara area of Bhadrak district.

Flight services at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata have been cancelled for 15 hours starting Thursday. Train services, including local trains, will also be suspended in both the northern and southern sections of the Sealdah division of Eastern Railways for 14 hours from Thursday. Trains coming from coastal areas like Namkhana and Hasnabad will not reach Sealdah during this time.

Safety measures and evacuations underway

A senior official from Eastern Railways confirmed that these measures are being taken to ensure passenger safety. A total of 190 local trains in the Sealdah division will be affected.

Control rooms have been set up at the state secretariat in Nabanna, Howrah, and at district headquarters across the state. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has also opened a separate control room in central Kolkata.

Officials reported that the Chief Secretary is receiving hourly updates from district magistrates, particularly from nine districts identified as most vulnerable. “The Chief Secretary on his part is updating the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the developments on a regular basis,” he said.

Red alerts have been issued for the coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, and East Midnapore, as well as parts of West Midnapore.

In line with state directives, tourists have been evacuated from popular coastal destinations like Digha and Mandarmani. Schools and colleges in nine districts were closed starting Wednesday and will remain shut until Friday. Residents in low-lying areas are being relocated to safer locations.

The Regional Meteorological Office has indicated that the impact of Cyclone Dana on West Bengal is not expected to be as severe as Cyclone Amphan in 2020, which was one of the strongest storms to hit the region.

As of the latest update, Cyclone Dana is located about 540 kilometres from Sagar Islands in South 24 Parganas and around 490 kilometres from Dhamara in Odisha, where it is likely to make landfall.

Agency