Kolkata: At least four people were killed in rain-related mishaps in West Bengal after cyclonic storm Remal left a trail of destruction, official sources said on Monday.
Trees were uprooted and electric posts damaged, while continuous rains waterlogged a long stretch of roads in this metropolis affecting life of the netizens.
"Many areas of the city have been hard-hit by Cyclone Remal. Our Disaster Management Group personnel and personnel of different police stations have been making efforts all night to remove numerous trees uprooted in the storm to keep traffic moving," a Kolkata Police twitter said.
A man was killed after a portion of cornice from a house fell on him in central Kolkata, while a woman was killed after a tree fell on her at Mousuni Island in South 24 Parganas and a father-son duo was electrocuted at Memari in Purba Bardhaman.
Official sources said the duo was electrocuted from a live wire while cleaning uprooted banana trees at his courtyard.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor Firhad Hakim, who took over the KMC control room during the night, said efforts were on to dewatering by using water pumps at several places.
He said efforts were on to replant those threes, which were not totally uprooted, and added the green Rabindra Sarobor would be closed for the public to replant trees in south Kolkata.
"It is unfortunate that the people are not aware of the bad effect of using plastic as the waterlogging at Park Street owing to jamming of the manholes for those things," he said.
He said record 264 mm rainfall was measured in Ballygunj Circular Road.
"We need five hours to de-water the waterlogged streets once the rain stopped and the current high tide ends," the Mayor said.
Reports said water-logging was seen from north to south of the city where traffic was also affected by the falling trees.
Metro, flight operations resumed
Full stretch Metro Railway services resumed at 1205 hours after dewatering at a place between Esplanade and Park Street underground station.
"Flight operations resumed at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata at 0859 hours, after it was closed for flight operations yesterday in view of the REMAL," Kolkata Airport said.
Remal weakens into cyclonic storm: IMD
Meanwhile, an IMD bulletin said, "Severe Cyclonic storm Remal over coastal Bangladesh and adjoining coastal West Bengal weakened into cyclonic storm at 0530 hours of the 27 May about 70 km northeast of Canning (West Bengal) and 30 km west south west of Mongla (Bangladesh). The system is likely to gradually weaken further."
Storms and rains continued to lash coastal districts of Bengal and the city of Kolkata.
The worst-affected areas are Sundarbans in South 24 Parganas and many parts of North 24 Parganas where all the tributaries are swelling with rising water from the Bay of Bengal.
Eastern Railway began its passenger train services from Sealdah to the south section, which falls under South 24 Parganas, the worst affected area in the ravages of Remal.
ER sources said in the main section only Hasnabad train service was disrupted owing to waterlogging on the track.
Remal made landfall between Bangladesh and West Bengal, bringing gusts up to 135 km/h and heavy rains that flooded homes and farmland in South 24 Parganas, where both state administration and many NGOs, including Bharat Sevashram Sangh, opened camps to evacuate the affected people.
The Cyclonic Storm also washed off thatched huts and flattened mud houses in parts of South 24 Parganas.
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