- Wednesday, March 12, 2025
The cyclonic storm is expected to make landfall in Odisha early Friday with wind speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour
By: shajil kumar
CYCLONIC storm ‘Dana’, which formed over east-central Bay of Bengal on Wednesday, is set to bring heavy rainfall in several south Bengal districts, including Kolkata, the IMD said.
Eastern and South Eastern railways cancelled over 150 trains on October 24 and 25, in view of the cyclone.
The storm is likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm over northwest Bay of Bengal and 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 Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The cyclone lay 520 km southeast of Paradip and 600 km south-southeast of Sagar Island at 8.30 am on Wednesday, it said.
Parts of Kendrapara and Bhadrak districts in Odisha experienced rain and adverse weather conditions on Wednesday afternoon with the IMD saying that the outer bands of Cyclone ‘Dana’ have begun to affect the eastern coastline.
Senior IMD scientist Umashankar Das posted on X, “According to radar data from Paradip, the outer band of Cyclone ‘Dana’ has touched the land mass in Bhadrak and Kendrapara districts.”
He clarified that while the cyclone is around 500 km offshore, its outer bands, composed of clouds, can influence local weather conditions.
The Met warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy downpours in isolated places in the south Bengal districts of North and South 24 Parganas, Purba and Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly districts on October 24 and 25.
Advising fishermen not to venture into the sea from October 23 to 25, the Met warned that wind speed is likely to reach 60 kmph along and off Odisha-West Bengal coasts from October 23 and gradually increase to 120 kmph, from October 24 night till October 25 morning.
150 trains cancelled
More than 150 express and passenger trains running through South Eastern Railway (SER) jurisdiction have been cancelled in view of the severe cyclonic storm, an official said.
The trains cancelled were scheduled to depart their originating stations between October 23 and 25, the SER official said, adding that more trains running through the SER zone may be cancelled if the situation demands.
The Kolkata-headquartered SER zone is spread across West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand.
The Eastern Railway (ER) will not operate any EMU local train from Sealdah station from 8 pm on October 24 till 10 am on October 25 in view of the cyclonic storm ‘Dana’ over the Bay of Bengal, an official said.
The step was taken as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of train passengers in the Sealdah division that serves six districts of West Bengal – North 24 Praganas, South 24 Praganas, Nadia, Murshidabad, Kolkata and Howrah.
The official said that the last train from Hasnabad and Namkhana stations, which are close to the coastal areas in North and South 24 Parganas districts, will depart towards Sealdah by 7 pm on October 24.
Coast Guard on alert
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said it is on high alert and has mobilised its vessels and aircraft to respond swiftly to any contingency over the Bay of Bengal.
It said the ICG has mobilised its vessels and aircraft, positioning them strategically to respond swiftly to any emergencies.
The NDRF said it has so far deployed 13 teams across south Bengal to respond to any emergency situation.
Precautions in Odisha
The Odisha government expedited the evacuation of people from coastal areas and deployed 288 rescue teams in vulnerable areas across 14 districts, officials said.
The state government has already mobilised 19 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, 51 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams, and 178 Fire Services teams, with an additional 40 teams also deployed in the affected districts.
On Wednesday morning, the Indian Air Force transported 150 NDRF personnel and relief materials to Bhubaneswar using two aircraft.
The districts on alert are Angul, Puri, Nayagarh, Khordha, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Ganjam, and Mayurbhanj.
“The state has identified over 3,000 vulnerable locations (villages) across 14 districts, primarily along the coastal belt, and started evacuation procedures. Approximately 1,060,336 people are likely to be evacuated before Cyclone Dana makes landfall early Friday,” a senior official from the Special Relief Commissioner’s office said, adding that arrangements have been made to protect lives and property. (PTI)
