Kolkata: At least five people have lost their lives while over 500 have been reported injured in the storm that hit West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri on Sunday. The storm also left around 800 houses destroyed, said reliable reports in this regard.
On Sunday night, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived at Jalpaiguri on Sunday night. She even paid a visit to the district’s Super Specialty Hospital to meet the injured people. Further, she met the familied of the deceased and assured the West Bengal Government’s complete support.
Expressing her condolences, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced compensation for the victims, family members of the deceased and the injured as per the legal provisions under the model code of conduct (MCC).
“District and block administration, police, DMG and QRT teams swung into disaster management operations and are providing relief. Affected people are being shifted to safer places. The district administration will provide compensation to the next of kin in the case of the deaths, and the injured as per rules and following the MCC,” the Chief Minister said in statement.
PM Narendra Modi also condoled the loss of lives in the Jalpaiguri storm. He wrote on X, “My thoughts are with those affected by the storms in Jalpaiguri-Mainaguri areas of West Bengal. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. Spoke to officials and asked them to ensure proper assistance to those impacted by the heavy rains.”
He even urged the BJP workers in West Bengal to ensure assistance to the affected ones.
Reportedly, the storm originated from the Teesta river and lasted for about 10 minutes. Dhupguri and Mainaguri were the worst-affected areas of the district.
District administration sources said that the number of casualties is expected to rise further as conditions of some injured persons are quite critical.
#WATCH | Four people have lost their lives and over 100 others are injured in the cyclone incident in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri as the area was severely hit by rain and hailstorms resulting in damage to houses, buildings and crops. pic.twitter.com/Hn04jB2szq
— ANI (@ANI) March 31, 2024