Mamata Banerjee on Alert as Cyclone Dana Nears Bengal Coast

West Bengal's CM Mamata Banerjee is closely monitoring cyclone Dana, poised to hit the Odisha-West Bengal coast. Kolkata's airport operations are suspended as over 150,000 have been evacuated. State agencies are on high alert, with continuous updates from the control room in Howrah.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is maintaining a vigilant watch on Cyclone Dana as it approaches the coastline between Odisha and West Bengal. This follows her declaration to stay overnight at Nabanna, ensuring hands-on leadership as the storm makes its anticipated landfall at midnight on Thursday.

As a precautionary measure, flight operations at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata have been halted from 1800 hours today until 0900 hours on October 25. The state's proactive evacuation efforts have seen 1,59,837 people relocated, with 83,537 moved to relief camps in efforts to safeguard residents from forecasted severe weather conditions.

The operation is being coordinated from a control room in Howrah, where round-the-clock monitoring is enabled. State Disaster Management Minister Javed Ahmed Khan confirmed Chief Minister Banerjee's direct involvement in the situation management and reassured that all relevant agencies are on high alert. The region is braced for the cyclone's landfall, expected between October 24 and 25, with unwavering support extended by West Bengal Governor CV Anand Bose for those affected.

(With inputs from agencies.)