New Delhi. Cyclone ‘Remal’ is expected to hit the coasts of West Bengal and Bangladesh today. Authorities have begun preparations in view of the possibility of the storm. As a precaution, operations at Kolkata airport have been suspended. Extremely heavy rainfall and winds up to 130 km/h have been predicted in Bengal and northern Odisha due to the cyclone. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for several districts of West Bengal, including Kolkata, Howrah and East Midnapore. Due to this storm, sea waves up to 1.5 meters high are expected in the coastal areas of West Bengal and Bangladesh.
South 24 Parganas District Magistrate Sumit Gupta elaborated on the preparations, “We have already identified low-lying and vulnerable areas. Initially, we are planning to evacuate around 8,000-10,000 villagers from these areas. Some will be brought to shelters first.”
All flights at Kolkata airport will be suspended for 21 hours from Sunday afternoon due to the threat of landfall due to Cyclone Remal, an official said. This suspension will affect 394 domestic and international flights. Additionally, several local trains in Sealdah and Howrah divisions, which usually connect Kolkata and Howrah with surrounding districts, have been cancelled. The Syama Prasad Mukherjee Port in Kolkata has also been directed to suspend all cargo and container handling operations for 12 hours from Sunday evening. A senior official from East Midnapore mentioned that about 25,000 people may need to be evacuated from vulnerable areas in five sea-facing blocks. The evacuation is scheduled to take place on Sunday. Control rooms are operating 24/7 and constant coordination is being maintained with the Meteorological Department.