Kolkata: Heavy rain and flood-like situations in the State — especially in South Bengal — have claimed 39 lives so far, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday. Speaking to reporters at the new State secretariat Nabanna in Howrah, she said: “About 33,000 people across the State have been shifted to 700 relief shelters.”
Ms. Banerjee also said that 2 lakh hectares of land were submerged in the State and the government would distribute 5 lakh pouches of drinking water in waterlogged areas.
Heavy rain continued to lash in Kolkata on Saturday but no loss of lives were reported. However, severe waterlogging caused traffic disruptions right from the morning. According to the regional weather office, Kolkata received 117.4 mm of rain till 8.30 am. Cyclone Komen had lost strength while making way into West Bengal on Friday and resulted in a deep depression off the Bay of Bengal.
Daily commuters in the southern parts of the city like Behala and Baishnabghta had to face the twin problem of knee-deep water and absence of public transport. In the eastern fringes of the city like Saltlake, passengers had to shell out exorbitant fares to autorickshaw drivers as few buses were plied.
Roads in Central Kolkata such as Amherst Street assumed a river-like appearance from the cloud outburst. Rail services were disrupted in Sealdah and Howrah stations as rainwater filled up the track spaces.
The regional weather office has said that the rain was likely to continue in the area for the next 48 hours.
