Kolkata: Every kind of precaution is being taken to minimise damage which could be caused by the impending Cyclone Remal.
Even the authorities at Kolkata airport are not taking any chances, and announced suspension of flight operations for almost a day from Sunday noon at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (NSCBI).
“In view of cyclone Remal’s impact on the coastal region of West Bengal, including Kolkata, a meeting was held with the stakeholders and it has been decided to suspend flight operations from 1200 IST on May 26 to 0900 IST on May 27 due to predicted heavy winds and heavy to very heavy rainfall in Kolkata,” NSCBI airport director C Pattabhi said in a statement.
Kolkata’s Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port has also decided to suspend all cargo and container handling operations for 12 hours from Sunday evening. PTI quoted Port authorities as saying that operations will remain suspended from 6 pm on Sunday to 6 am on Monday.
A low-pressure area, first observed on May 22 in Bay of Bengal, has intensified into a more intense system and is currently located in central Bay of Bengal.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone is likely to make landfall around 11 pm to midnight on May 26 between Sagar Island in the southern tip of West Bengal and Khepupara in Bangladesh.
Four districts of Odisha are likely to experience heavy rain.
The regions expected to be directly impacted are West Bengal, coastal Bangladesh, Tripura and some other parts of north-eastern states.
Also Read: Cyclone Remal: ICG Disaster Relief Teams Positioned At Odisha’s Paradip, Gopalpur
