New Delhi: As a safety measure ahead of the Cyclone Dana making a landfall in the region, flight operations at the Kolkata Airport will stay suspended for 15 hours from 6 pm on Thursday.
This has been done to ensure the safety of passengers, airline employees, various equipment, navigational aids and infrastructure, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has said.
A spokesperson for the AAI said that in light of Cyclone Dana’s possible impact on West Bengal’s coastal areas, including Kolkata, flight operations will be suspended from 6 pm on October 24 to 9 am on October 25. This decision is due to forecasts of strong winds and heavy to very heavy rainfall in Kolkata, he added.
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More than 190 trains have already been cancelled as a part of precautionary measure. The Meteorological Department has predicted that the cyclonic storm is expected to make landfall early Friday between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra Port in Odisha, with wind speeds of up to 120 km/h. Heavy rainfall is likely in several districts of South Bengal on October 24 and 25.
56 NDRF deployed in 5 states
As many as 56 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in five states, including Odisha and West Bengal, in view of Cyclone Dana. There are a total of 20 teams in Odisha, and 17 in West Bengal. Besides the NDRF, the respective state disaster response forces have also been stationed in these areas. Fishermen have been told to avoid venturing into Chilika Lake, and drainage systems have been cleared to prevent waterlogging in Odisha.
The Odisha and West Bengal governments have also announced plans to evacuate 2 million people from areas expected to be impacted by the cyclone. As a precautionary step, all educational institutions and government offices have been shut for three days from Wednesday.
