Phailin: Bengal govt keeps disaster management teams ready

Kolkata, Oct 13: The West Bengal government on Saturday, Oct 12 deployed disaster management and civil defence personnel in the coastal areas with Cyclone Phailin poised to strike neighbouring Odisha.

"We have posted disaster management, civil defence and rescue teams in Digha, Shankarpur, Contai, Mandarmoni, Diamond Harbour and some areas of the Sundarbans," Disaster Management minister Javed Khan told PTI here.

He said that people at Digha, Mandarmoni and Shankarpur on the coast were advised to stay indoors. Khan said a helpline would function from the state secretariat.

The MET office predicted heavy to very heavy rains at at some places over East and West Midnapore, North and South 24-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Bankura, Burdwan and Purulia districts in the next 48-hours.

Kolkata would experience light to medium rainfall and an overcast sky, the MeT office said. Fishermen were alerted and asked not to venture into the sea. South Eastern Railway cancelled all south-bound trains beyond Kharagpur.

PTI