Army Deployed to Help West Bengal Restore Infrastructure

The Indian Army troops were deployed in Kolkata and neighbouring districts in West Bengal yesterday to help civil authorities restore essential infrastructure and services which were badly hit by Cyclone Amphan on May 20.

At least 86 people died in the West Bengal state of India as the cyclone left a trail of destruction, with North and South 24 Pargana districts bearing most of the brunt.

Five columns of the army, each with 35 officers and junior commissioned officers, were deployed in different parts of the city following a request by the West Bengal government, a defense official said.

"The Indian Army has provided three columns to assist the Kolkata city administration in the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan," he said.

Army personnel equipped with road and tree clearing equipment were deployed at Tollygunge, Ballygunge and Behala in south Kolkata, the official added.

Personnel were also deployed for restoration work at New Town in North 24 Pargana district and at Diamond Harbour in South 24 Pargana district.

Meanwhile, even as public protests continued in the state against the slow restoration of power and drinking water supply, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday counselled the people to have patience and said her government has continued to work hard to bring day-to-day life back to normal.

Although electricity and mobile connection were restored in some parts of Kolkata and North and South 24 Pargana districts, many areas continued to remain in darkness as power poles had been blown away and communication lines snapped.

Several roads and houses in Kolkata, Howrah, and North and South 24 Pargana districts remained waterlogged.

People in various parts of Kolkata have been protesting and putting up road blockades since Friday night, demanding the immediate resumption of power and water supply -- three days after Cyclone Amphan ravaged the state.

Firhad Hakim, chairman of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation's board of administrators, assured the people that normalcy would be restored in a week, as government officials were working round the clock to improve the situation.

"More than 5,000 trees have been uprooted. We have already cleared several roads," Hakim said.

"We are in touch with the private power supply provider and had asked them to restore supply as early as possible," he added.

In Kakdwip under South 24 Pargana district, people complained that they were not given enough tarpaulin sheets to cover the roofs of houses damaged by the cyclone.

In Hingalganj block of North 24 Pargana, people said they were running out of food, as shops in the vicinity were yet to lift shutters in the aftermath of the cyclone.

"The entire area is underwater and we are out of food for the last three days," said Geeta Mahali, a resident of the area.

Several relief camps have been set up in the cyclone-hit districts where hapless people queued up for two squares of meal and shelter after their homes were either blown or washed away.

Teams of National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Relief Force have been working on a war-footing to clear the roads blocked by the uprooted trees.

Earlier on Friday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had undertaken an aerial survey of the cyclone-ravaged areas along with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and announced an advance assistance of Rs 1,000 crore for West Bengal.

Source: NDTV