Cyclone Dana Live Updates: Flight, train services resume in Kolkata as Cyclone Dana completes landfall in Odisha

Certain areas of Jharkhand are expected to witness substantial rainfall starting from Thursday evening, as a result of the cyclonic storm 'Dana', according to a meteorologist. The Kolhan region, which includes the districts of West Singhbhum, Seraikela-Kharswan, and East Singhbhum, has been placed under an 'orange' alert for Friday.

Flight operations at Kolkata airport will be suspended for 15 hours from 6 pm on Thursday to manage the rough weather in the wake of Cyclone Dana. This will lead to the cancellation of 208 flight movements, affecting around 30,000 flyers.

Eastern Railway has suspended local train services from Sealdah from 8 pm on Thursday till 10 am on Friday in view of the cyclone. “We don’t want any passenger train to be on the tracks when the cyclone strikes,” said an official.The Sealdah division covers six Bengal districts — North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad, Kolkata, and Howrah.

Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here will suspend operations from 5 pm on Thursday to 9 am on Friday 9 am due to Cyclone Dana, BPIA officials said.

Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday reviewed preparedness of East Coast Railway (ECoR) and South Eastern Railway (SER) zones with Cyclone Dana likely to hit the Odisha coast on Thursday night. Chairing the high-level meeting through videoconferencing from New Delhi, Vaishnaw asked officials to ensure maximum preparedness with minimal disruption. He also advised that care must be taken to ensure minimum inconvenience to passengers.

Between three and four lakh people were evacuated from vulnerable areas on Wednesday as the govt tightened its belt to meet the challenges likely to be posed by Cyclone Dana, expected to make landfall early on Friday. The wind speed during the landfall, likely between Bhitarkanika and Dhamra, will be around 100-120 km per hour, IMD sources said. Reviewing preparations, chief minister Mohan Majhi assured people they are in safe hands.So far, 30% of the population has been relocated from areas likely to be affected by the cyclone and by Thursday morning, 90% relocation is expected to be completed.

With Cyclone Dana likely to make landfall near Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapada district on Thursday night, the wildlife wing of forest department has formed seven teams to check possible human-crocodile conflict.Officials said surging tidal waves may lead the reptiles to swim into creeks and ponds in villages that could pose a threat to people.The forest department also apprehends that snakes may enter human settlements along with the stormwater. “The seven teams have been asked to keep an eye on the situation and clear routes so that reports of straying animals can be attended to at short notice. People have also been sensitised on avoiding conflict situations,” said Sudarshan Gopinath Jadhav, divisional forest officer, mangrove forest division (wildlife), Rajnagar.

As many as five cyclones have hit the Bengal-Bangladesh and Bengal-Odisha coasts in the last four years since Super Cyclone Amphan wreaked havoc on south Bengal and roared through Kolkata on May 20, 2020. The frequency of cyclones hitting the region during this period has been higher than ever in recorded meteorological history, said some meteorologists. The reasons, they say, are multifarious, including a rise in sea-surface temperature due to global warming. Cyclone Dana, set to strike the Odisha-Bengal coast on Thursday night, will be the second to hit the east coast this year after Cyclone Remal that struck Bengal-Bangladesh coast in May.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and city police on Wednesday firmed up their cyclone preparedness. Mayor Sulochana Das visited select cyclone shelters and twin cities’ police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh directed the police force to join hands with civic authorities to help trapped people. While BMC made its control room functional from Wednesday with 12 lines open for toll-free number 1929, multiple teams brought down the high-mast lights installed at over 100 locations in the city at prominent intersections to avoid damage during the cyclone.BMC squads also asked all high-rise developers to bring down or stop their cranes to avoid accidents during the cyclone.