West Bengal School Closing News: In view of Cyclonic storm ‘Dana’, schools will remain closed in the districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Bankura, Hooghly, Howrah and Kolkata from October 23. The West Bengal government issued a notification in this regard and said the classes will resume on October 26 after the cyclone is weaened.
As the cyclonic storm moved closer, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that West Bengal and Odisha would witness intense rainfall after it made landfall on October 24.
As per the updates from the IMD, a distinct low-pressure system formed over the east-central Bay of Bengal on October 21, and by October 23, it is expected to strengthen into a cyclonic storm.
"The depression over the Bay of Bengal will intensify into a cyclonic storm by October 23 and cross the Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island on October 25 as a severe storm with wind speeds of 100-110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph," the IMD said.
Schools closed in Odisha as well
Apart from the West bengal government, the Odisha government also announced a three-day school closure in 14 districts, including Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, and Cuttack, in anticipation of Cyclone Dana.
Kolkata airport prepares to tackle cyclone
In the meantime, authorities of the Kolkata airport have started preparations to tackle any situation arising out of a possible cyclonic storm that could hit coastal areas of West Bengal and Odisha on October 25, a senior official said on Tuesday. The standard operating procedures such as inspection of the airport infrastructure and the drainage system, checking and servicing of all installations are being carried out, he said.
“I am also scheduled to hold a meeting with various stakeholders at the airport soon,” Director of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Dr Pravat Ranjan Beuria, told PTI.
What IMD said on cyclone
A well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression on Tuesday, as it rolled towards the eastern coast with the likelihood of turning into a severe cyclonic storm, the IMD said. The depression is likely to further intensify into a cyclonic storm by October 23 and a severe cyclonic storm by October 25, it said.
“We are expecting heavy rainfall, which may cause inundation in and around the airport premises We are working closely with the state government to handle the situation,” Beuria said.
