Depression moves to Jharkhand, hundreds marooned



Kolkata: The deep depression formed over the Bay of Bengal moved to Jharkhand on Sunday, marooning hundreds and breaching river banks in several south Bengal districts, while heavy rains claimed the lives of two more people, taking the overall death toll to eight.

Hundreds of people, especially in the Sunderbans in South 24-Parganas district, have become shelterless in the 72 hours of heavy rainfall as rivers breaching their banks inundated homes and fields.

West Bengal Irrigation Minister Manas Bhuniya told reporters that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had directed district administrations in the affected districts to shift villagers to safer places as precautionary measures.

Banerjee held an emergency meeting on the impending flood situation in some districts with the irrigation minister at her residence today.

She had asked the party legislators to remain in their constituencies for helping affected people.

"I have already directed DMs of all affected districts to relocate people to safer places and all weekly holidays of employees in all government departments involved in rescue and relief operation have been cancelled," Bhuniya said.

Meanwhile, with two more deaths reported from Bankura district today, the death toll in the depression-triggered rains in south Bengal districts rose to eight, while a large number of people remained marooned with many mud-built houses flattened.

An action-taken report has been forwarded to the chief minister, Bhuniya told reporters, adding officials in the affected areas have been asking people through the public address system to move to safer places.

Secretary of Disaster Management Department Indewar Pandey said two more deaths have been reported from the worst-hit district of Bankura.

The two died in two different incidents of wall collapse.

The other casualties include two each from South 24-Parganas and North 24-Parganas districts and the one each from Nadia district and Kolkata, Pandey said.

Banerjee instructed opening of a special control room at the Writers Buildings which would be manned by some ministers including the Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee, Planning Minister Manish Gupta and Minister for Disaster Management and Fire Services Javed Khan.

Sources close to the chief minister said the DVC authorities have said it might be forced to release 10 to 12 thousands cusecs of water from its system by tonight.

"The DVC authorities had sought the chief minister's permission. She has requested the DVC authorities not to discharge water unless it is extremely necessary," the sources said.

At Kalipahari rail station in the coal belt of Burdwan district near Asansol, a 30-foot-deep cavity was formed just 25 metre away from railway tracks through which major trains like Shatabdi Express and Rajdhani Express run, SDO Sandip Dutta said.

However, no casualty or injury was reported but the rail traffic was stopped on that line. Trains supposed to travel on the track were diverted to other three tracks with a slow speed of 20 kmph, Dutta said.

PTI