Kolkata was left battered after Cyclone Remal left large parts of the city inundated on May 27, 2024. Metro and train services were affected during the day.
| Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI
Cyclone Remal battered Kolkata and adjoining areas of the metropolis on Monday leaving behind a trail of destruction inundating large parts of the city, uprooting trees and electric poles and leaving people stranded for public transport.
The cyclone made landfall between West Bengal and Bangladesh coast on Sunday evening and people of Kolkata woke up to torrential rainfall and strong gale winds. By 8.30 a.m. on Monday, Kolkata had recorded 144 mm in the past 24 hours.
Cyclone Remal Highlights: May 27, 2024
The cyclone claimed the life of a 51-year-old man in the city’s Entally area, and injured three others in Maniktala area. The deceased, identified as Sheikh Sajid, was killed under the impact of a cement tile that fell amid torrential rain and storm in Kolkata’s Bibir Bagan on Sunday night.
People from north to south of the city were seen wading through knee-deep water as areas like Camac Street, Theatre Road, Amherst Street, Central Avenue, Mohammad Ali Park, and Mahatma Gandhi Road remain waterlogged.
Kolkata was left battered after cyclone Remal as large areas were inundated. Metro and Train services were affected during the day.
| Photo Credit:
DEBASISH BHADURI
Not only were the low-lying areas of north Kolkata like Mahatma Gandhi Road and Mohammad Ali Park waterlogged but also areas like Park Street and Camac Street were flooded. Cyclone Remal brought back memories of super cyclone Amphan that had wreaked havoc in Kolkata and adjoining coastal areas of the city in May 2020.
“Low-lying areas in north Kolkata like Thanthania Kali Bari and Amherst Street are our main problem areas. We hope to improve the waterlogging situation in these areas in the next one-and-half years,” Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Firhad Hakim said on Monday. He added that he is looking to procure funds for this purpose and will make an announcement soon.
“We need five hours from when the rainfall stops and the high tide sets in to clear most of the waterlogging from the city roads,” Mr. Hakim added.
At least 68 trees were uprooted across Kolkata, and 75 trees were rooted out in the Salt Lake and Rajarhat area, leading to unprecedented road blockages and traffic disruptions in busy areas like Cathedral Road, Lindsey Street, and at SSKM Hospital.
Municipal authorities and disaster management teams from civic bodies around Kolkata such as Bidhannagar deployed teams in multiple areas in the city to clear uprooted trees, drain waterlogged streets, and restore normal traffic movement in the city.
Cyclone Remal disrupted the city’s transport system on the first working day of the week, with Railway and metro services affected on Monday morning. Services of the Kolkata Metro main line were temporarily halted between the Girish Park and Tollygunge stretch of the Blue Line until Monday noon, owing to severe waterlogging along the underground metro tracks in Park Street and Esplanade Metro stations.
Local train services of Sealdah suburban section were also disrupted and certain long-distance trains were cancelled. There were fewer vehicles on the road and commuters who ventured out had a tough time. Office-goers stranded near Camac Street on Monday afternoon told The Hindu that unpredictable traffic conditions and disruptions of metro and bus services have made commuting very difficult on a working day.
Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport resumed flight operations around 9 a.m. on Monday, following a 21-hour suspension since Sunday noon owing to the cyclone.