Not much damage done by Cyclone Fani in Bengal: Mamata

Cyclone Fani which entered West Bengal on the early hours of Saturday after wreaking havoc in Odisha has not caused much damage in Bengal. However, some mud huts were destroyed by the storm while hundreds of houses were partially damaged.

“ Fortunately not much damage was done by the storm. While 12 huts were destroyed by it about 825 houses got partially damaged. Several electricity posts were uprooted,” said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday.

She also said that the state administration was alert all night and adequate relief materials were supplied in advance to areas which were expected to be affected by the storm.

“ About 42,000 people were evacuated by the state administration to relief camps,” said Banerjee. As for the coastal areas of Bengal she said that access to civic amenities have become normal in Digha and Mandarmoni, while work is in full swing to normalise the situation in other affected areas.

Life in Kolkata and other districts gradually returned to normalcy. While flight operations resumed at the Kolkata Airport at 9.57 am, train services also became operational in Howrah and Sealdah divisions. Kolkata Port Trust (KPT) has also resumed operations in both Haldia and Kolkata docks.

The cyclone which is expected to weaken further and turn into a deep depression is currently heading towards Bangladesh, said an official of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata.