'Even before the Left could come to terms with the disastrous results of the Lok Sabha election, Cyclone Aila wreaked havoc in West Bengal, exposing the callousness and inefficiency of the state machinery.'
The death toll due to Monday's havoc caused by Cyclone Aila in West Bengal rose to 45 on Tuesday.
At least 21 people, mostly children, were killed as the tropical cyclone Aila lashed Bangladesh's southern coastlines with wind-driven tidal surges inundating residential areas and breaching embankments. Reports reaching Dhaka said 21 people, mostly children, died of drowning or house collapses as abnormal tidal waves up to 13 feet high made their way to residential areas, damaging dozens of flood control structures like dams.
The world organisation said UN humanitarians and partners were working hard to assist the people of Bangladesh and India suffering from the impact of the cyclone, which made landfall on Wednesday, wreaking havoc, causing high tidal surges, flooding and embankments to collapse.
Kumar Sanu pays his respects to all the victims of Cyclone Aila by singing song for them.
Indrani Roy Mitra and photographer Dipak Chakraborty travel to Cyclone Aila-ravaged Sunderbans and witness untold suffering and misery amidst an apathetic relief effort mired in red tape.
Cyclone Aila, which has claimed nearly 160 lives in West Bengal, has left hundreds of villagers homeless. The inefficient relief efforts by the government have caused wide-spread resentment.
Accusing the Left Front government in West Bengal of ignoring Darjeeling Hills, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jaswant Singh on Friday demanded the creation of a separate Gorkhaland. Singh also demanded more funds under the Cyclone Aila package. Initiating a debate on the Finance Bill in the Lok Sabha, the Darjeeling Member of Parliament wondered, "What wrong have the Gorkhas done not to deserve a separate state."
Doctors fear that the number of people suffering from water borne diseases and children falling prey to measles and other communicable diseases would increase once stagnant sea water recedes from the villages of the Sunderbans.
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was on Sunday gheraoed twice by relief seekers in the state's South 24 Parganas, the district worst-hit by cyclone Aila, even as the government prepared a memorandum seeking assistance of Rs 1,000 for submission to the Centre.The chief minister had gone to Gosaba in the Sunderbans to see the extent of the disaster and distribution of relief materials.
Dilip hails from Sunderbans. When Aila struck the area in the summer of 2009, he and his family lost everything and turned paupers overnight.
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on June 19 to discuss the demand for Rs 1000 crore for relief and restoration work in cyclone Aila-hit areas.
Exodus of people continued from the Cyclone Aila battered islands of Sundarbans, to escape inundation by full moon high tide 'Bhora Kotal', which is expected to hit the area on Sunday. The fear of heavy rains due to yet another low pressure area in the sea, however, receded with the weather office saying there was no weather warning for any cyclone and rain was expected in the next 24 hours.
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee will seek Rs 15,000 crore from the Centre for building a "mini Chinese Wall" along the coastal area of the Sundarbans to protect the area's 4.1 million people from further cyclones and high tides. The area was recently hit by cyclone Aila.
Life in Kolkata came to a standstill even before Cyclone Aila hit on Monday, killing 17, including a woman, and injuring many. High-velocity winds and heavy rains lashed the coastal areas of the state from Monday morning. All flights, including international ones, at the NSC Bose International Airport were suspended from 1400 hours, airport sources said.
Migrant labourers in South 24 Parganas who lost their jobs due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown are left with nothing due to the monstrous cyclone now.
Bangladesh on Wednesday launched a massive evacuation campaign as weathermen warned that cyclonic storm Mahasen had moved further towards the coast.
Child protection groups are worried about unaccompanied children in Uttarakhand, reports Kavita Chowdhury
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