Intense thunderstorm accompanied by heavy rains and powerful winds swept across the state capital of Kolkata and other parts of South Bengal on Friday evening. The deadly weather has so far claimed seven people’s lives, stalled all kinds of transportation facilities, and prompted a quick response from the state government.
Government offers compensation
As per officials, seven people lost their lives owing to a combination of building collapse, electrical shock, and direct lightning hits in the middle of the storms.
A press conference organised at the State Secretariat informed about seven deaths recorded in South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Paschim Medinipur, and Purulia districts. In connection with this, the government has pledged an ex-gratia relief of ₹4 lakh to the families of the deceased.
Storm hits air and rail transport services
The destructive weather had its toll on the state’s transit services. As reported by news agency PTI, the air services at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport got grounded due to waterlogged and wind-ridden airstrips.
Railway tracks too bore the brunt of the storms. Branches of trees fell over the traction wire sections of Sealdah South line in Bongaon section, leaving commuters stranded.
Several trees blown away; delivery man seriously hurt in lightning strike
According to KMC reports, a total of 36 trees came down in various parts of the city and surrounding areas, damaging cars parked near their roots. Also, some major roads became blocked owing to the incident.
In the Salt Lake locality, a ride service person was severely injured after he was struck by lightning while traveling. Moreover, many areas with low altitude experienced intense waterlogging; consequently, teams from the KMC and State Disaster Management Department had to remain busy throughout the night to restore normal road conditions by removing tree branches and draining water from roads.
IMD alerts fishermen for 48 hours
The Chief Minister of the state formed a special committee with representatives from the Forest, Environment, and Municipal departments. This panel will meet with experts in the forestry sector to devise ways to protect city trees in extreme weather conditions.
In the meantime, the IMD has put South Bengal on alert by predicting heavy rainfall, intense lightning strikes, and strong winds with speeds of 60-70 km/h for the next two days. According to the weather forecasting department, this phenomenon was caused by the heavy inflow of moisture from the Bay of Bengal region into the trough region extending from Pakistan up to Odisha. Local areas like Bankura, Birbhum, Purulia, and Paschim Medinipur have been identified as being highly sensitive, and fishers have been advised against venturing out to sea.
