Kolkata: Flights Suspended For 15 Hrs Ahead Of Cyclone Dana
Flight operations at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata will be suspended for 15 hours starting at 6:00 PM on Thursday as a precautionary measure ahead of Cyclone Dana.
According to airport authorities, flight operations will be halted from 6:00 PM on October 25 until 9:00 AM on October 26.
On Tuesday, the West Bengal government announced that schools and academic institutions would remain closed in several parts of the state following a notice from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) regarding Cyclone Dana, which is expected to make landfall on the West Bengal coast by October 24.
A notice issued by the School Education Department of the West Bengal Government stated that academic activities in seven districts–including South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Bankura, Hooghly, Howrah, and Kolkata–would be suspended from October 23 to October 26.
The IMD has indicated that Cyclone Dana is likely to move northwestwards and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm over the northwest Bay of Bengal by the early hours of October 24. It is expected to cross the north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island, near Bhitarkanika and Dhamara in Odisha, between the night of October 24 and the morning of October 25, as a severe cyclonic storm with wind speeds of 100-110 km/h, gusting up to 120 km/h.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in both Odisha and West Bengal have been placed on standby. Additionally, rescue and relief teams from the Army, Navy, and Coast Guard are on high alert. (ANI)
