Mamata leaves for flood-affected Howrah

The flood situation in south Bengal turned grim on Saturday with 1.19 lakh people taking shelter in relief camps in 12 districts of the state even as weatherman forecast more heavy rains in the next two days. “However, the situation is likely to improve from tomorrow”, Banerjee said.

Stating that over 30,000 individuals have been sheltered in about seven hundred aid camps in several affected districts, she stated that a Control Room with 1070 helpline quantity will work round the clock.

State Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim went to Arambagh in Hooghly district during the day and oversaw relief arrangements for the affected people. “I will do whatever can be done”, he said, inviting the Chief Minister to officially open a new wing at Loreto College in Kolkata, named after his wife Lady Aruna Paul who studied and taught there.

She said that high tides and storms lashing the state since yesterday compounded the situation but the administration was on a alert. Ministers have been asked to visit affected location to review relief works.

“All measures have been taken to rescue those affected, to provide them with relief materials and restore normalcy sooner as the water recedes”, she said, adding that her government was fully geared to save people from this disaster.

According to an Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) release here, heavy to very heavy rain might occur at isolated places of Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, Bardhaman, Howrah, East and West Midnapur districts of Gangetic West Bengal.

” Due to this Rainfall would occur at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over the Gangetic West Bengal during next 24 hrs and isolated heavy rainfall during subsequent 24 hrs”, read the statement. Many rivers across the state have reached their danger mark and are overflowing.

Adequate relief materials have also been sent to all affected districts, the officials added.

The sources said that 38,046 houses were damaged and 2,05,901 houses were damaged partly. Superintendent of Police of Chandel district Herojit Singh said 20 people were killed in the landslide at the village under Khangbarol sub-division of the district.

The Ministers of the departments involved have additionally been requested to organize for restoration of national highways, state highways, rural roads, electrical energy line and different infrastructure as quickly as water recedes.