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KOLKATA — Heavy rains and gusty winds battered southern West Bengal on Thursday as the state administration evacuated over 2.5 lakh people to safety in anticipation of the impending severe cyclonic storm 'Dana,' which is set to make landfall in Odisha after midnight.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that the cyclone is likely to make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port late Thursday night or early Friday morning.
At 4.30 pm, the storm was located 150 km southeast of Paradip (Odisha) and 250 km south-southeast of West Bengal's Sagar Island.
Also read: Dana intensifies into severe cyclonic storm, to hit Odisha coast between Bhitarkanika and Dhamra
In anticipation of the cyclone, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the state had identified more than 3.5 lakh people for evacuation from low-lying areas. As of Thursday, 243,374 people had already taken shelter in relief camps.
"For evacuation from low-lying areas, we have identified 356,941 people," Banerjee told reporters, adding that she would remain at the state secretariat overnight to monitor the situation.
Chief secretary Manoj Pant and home secretary Nandini Chakraborty are also overseeing the evacuation and relief operations.
"I seek your cooperation. Be alert. If the police or the administration ask you to evacuate, please heed their advice," Banerjee said. "Do not venture into the waters. Fishing is prohibited now."
South Bengal districts, including Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly and the 24 Parganas, have already begun experiencing moderate to heavy rains and gusty winds, with weather conditions expected to worsen.
The IMD has warned of "heavy to very heavy rainfall" in these areas, with isolated places likely to see "extremely heavy downpours" over the next 48 hours.
Fishermen have been advised to stay away from the sea as wind speeds of up to 110 km/h (68 mph) are anticipated over the northwest Bay of Bengal. The storm is expected to strengthen, with winds reaching 120 km/h (75 mph) during landfall before gradually subsiding.
Public transportation across southern Bengal could be severely impacted.
South Eastern Railway (SER), which oversees routes in West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand, has cancelled more than 170 express and passenger trains scheduled between October 23 and 27.
In addition, Eastern Railway cancelled 68 suburban trains in the Howrah division for Friday morning, while all EMU local trains from Sealdah station were suspended from Thursday evening through Friday morning.
Kolkata Port authorities also halted ship movements until Friday evening as a precautionary measure.
Operations at Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport were suspended from 6 pm on Thursday until 9 am on Friday due to expected high winds and heavy rain.
Airport Director Pravat Ranjan Beuria said necessary precautions have been taken, including securing planes, retracting aerobridges, and ensuring all loose equipment are tied.
"Following the standard operating procedure, all vehicles used in the airside of the airport will be removed from the operational area," Beuria said, adding that pumps are on standby to prevent waterlogging on the premises," he said.
Thirteen battalions from the state's disaster management force and 14 battalions from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in the coastal regions.
Meanwhile, the Indian Coast Guard has mobilised vessels and aircraft to respond to any distress situations at sea.
Ferry services in the Sundarbans and across the Hooghly River in Kolkata have been suspended, and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation opened a control room to manage the situation.
Banerjee urged people to avoid spreading rumours and creating panic. She emphasized that the state government's 24/7 helpline (2214 3526) was operational for sharing information and monitoring the cyclone.
"I will be at the state secretariat throughout the night, and we will continue to monitor the situation," Banerjee said. "Please cooperate with us and stay safe," she said.
Private Telecom operators have implemented emergency measures to minimise disruption during the cyclone, including securing fuel supplies, deploying extra manpower, monitoring networks through dedicated war rooms, and enabling Intra-Circle Roaming (ICR) services to maintain uninterrupted connectivity in affected areas.
Cyclone 'Dana' is the latest in a series of severe storms to impact India's eastern coastline in recent years, posing a significant risk to coastal communities and infrastructure.
RANCHI — Parts of Jharkhand could experience heavy to very heavy rainfall from Thursday night under the influence of cyclonic storm Dana, a Met Department official said.
An 'orange' alert has been issued for the Kolhan region (West Singhbhum, Seraikela-Kharswan and East Singhbhum districts) for Friday, he said.
This category of alert indicates heavy rainfall ranging from 115 mm to 204 mm in 24 hours, the official said.
"Apart from heavy rain, the region might also experience thunderstorms and gusty winds with speeds of up to 60 kmph," Ranchi Meteorological Centre in-charge Abhishek Anand said.
In view of the inclement weather, Jharkhand School Education and Literacy Development Department on Thursday said that all categories of schools would be closed on Friday in Kolhan division.
"All categories of government, non-government, aided, unaided and private schools, from kindergarten to class 12, operating in West Singhbhum, East Singhbhum and Saraikela-Kharswan districts under Kolhan division will remain closed on October 25 in light of the alert issued by the Meteorological Center, Ranchi, regarding heavy rainfall and strong winds under influence of cyclonic storm Dana," a notice issued by the department said.
The cyclonic storm is likely to make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port in Odisha early Friday with wind speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour (kmph), the IMD said.
Six teams of the NDRF have been deployed in Jamshedpur and Chaibasa, while two teams were kept on standby in Ranchi to deal with any emergency situation, another official said.
Several parts of central Jharkhand, including Ranchi, Khunti, Lohardaga, Gumla, Ramgarh, Giridih, Deoghar, Dhanbad and Jamtara may also experience heavy rainfall on Friday, Anand said.
"Light to moderate rainfall is likely in many parts of the state on Thursday, with forecast of heavy rainfall in the Kolhan division, under the influence of the cyclonic system," he said.
The inclement weather is also likely to impact political activities underway for the upcoming assembly polls in Jharkhand, scheduled to be held in two phases – November 13 and November 20 – with the counting of votes on November 23.
The nomination process for the first phase started on October 18 and will conclude on October 25, while the same for the second phase began on October 22 and will continue till October 29.