Buddhadeb visits cyclone hit areas in Kolkata

Kolkata, May 26: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Tuesday, May 26 visited cyclone relief camps in Nimpith in South 24 Parganas, the area worst hit by 'Cyclone Alia'.

Bhattacharjee talked to people who have taken shelter in the relief camp. About 24,000 people have been rendered homeless in South 24 Parganas district.

The cyclone-affected victims have been provided with dry food. The district administration has set up about 100 relief camps across the disaster zone and launched relief and rescue operations at the block level.

In the Sunderbans Delta zone, large areas, including several villages, within the Kakdwip Sub-Division have been inundated and thousands have been forced to quit home and hearth and leave for relief camps.

Earlier in the day, it was reported that West Bengal capital Kolkata is limping back to normal a day after 'Cyclone Aila' brushed past it at a distance of 50 km.

At least 35 people have been killed across the state, 15 of them in Kolkata and Howrah and 20 others in South Bengal districts. Over 1500 trees lie uprooted across the main thoroughfares in the city, several electric poles have keeled over, electricity, water supply and cable connections have been disrupted in several pockets across the metropolis.

The storm which started around 1.30 pm Monday and lasted till 8.30 pm, with a couple of hours lull around 3 pm, rendered Kolkata immobile. Roads were blocked, public transport collapsed, all to and fro flights were cancelled and even the dependable metro crashed.

ANI