West Bengal Schools Shut as Cyclone DANA Approaches

Kolkata: As a precautionary measure for Cyclone DANA, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday announced the shutdown of all schools in nine districts of the state from October 23 to 26.

The nine districts are North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Bankura, East Midnapore, West Midnapore and Jhargram. The CM has deputed one senior IAS officer, of a departmental secretary rank, in each district to supervise the disaster management preparation.

Sharing her government's steps, Ms Banerjee said at the state secretariat Nabanna, “We are prepared to tackle the situation. An integrated control room has been opened. It is functioning 24x7. Fishermen have been asked not to go to sea. Miking is being done in the coastal areas.”

She added, “Public address systems are in place in the coastal areas. The district magistrates and superintendents of police have been asked to keep their eyes open till the situation normalises.”

Ms Banerjee also informed that a restriction on the tourists in the popular beach towns has been enforced. Meanwhile the East Coast Railway has decided to cancel 19 trains which are running through Eastern Railway jurisdiction.

In its latest weather bulletin, the Indian Meteorological Department said, “The system is very likely to cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island during the night of October 24 and early morning October 25 as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph with gusting 120 kmph."

It added, “A low pressure area is very likely to form over the east-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Andaman Sea during next 24 hours. It is very likely to move west-north-westwards and intensify into a depression by October 22 morning and into a cyclonic storm by October 23 over east-central Bay of Bengal."