Cyclone Dana: Emergency activities to continue in Bengal, says Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday that the emergency administrative activities at the two coastal districts East Midnapore and South 24 Parganas will continue following the landfall of Cyclone Dana which had a minimum impact so far in the state.

“The emergency administrative activities will continue in all the vulnerable pockets. But special focus will be given to East Midnapore and South 24 Parganas district,” said the Chief Minister.

Earlier, in a meeting with the top administrative officials of the state, the Chief Minister advised immediate distribution of mosquito nets in places prone to mosquito-borne diseases like malaria.

“The relief camps will continue to be in operation till the time the crisis is totally over and weather conditions improve. Medical camps will be run at different places in different pockets of the affected districts to prevent flood-related diseases. The teams of National Disaster Relief Force and State Disaster Relief forces will continue to remain deployed in the most affected places in the next two days,” the Chief Minister said.

She said that so far one electrocution death has been reported since Thursday night.“It was an unfortunate incident. The victim got electrocuted while he was undergoing some cable-related work at his residence,” the Chief Minister said.

She once again blamed Damodar Valley Corporation and claimed the release of water by the corporation is leading to water-logging in certain pockets of the state.

“They always do that. They release water whenever there is rainfall in Jharkhand,” she said.

In September, the Chief Minister announced the decision of the West Bengal government to withdraw its representation in the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee (DVRRC), as a protest against the alleged “disregard for West Bengals” concerns and lack of cooperation regarding flood moderation.

The Chief Minister had spent the entire Thursday night at the state secretariat Nabanna monitoring the situation from the specially-opened control room.

She was accompanied by the Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, state Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty and other senior bureaucrats of the state government.