Shillong, October 5: Following the devastating deluge in Sikkim, the flood crisis is intensifying in various regions of northern West Bengal.
The hardest-hit areas include Darjeeling and Kalimpong in the hills, as well as Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar in the plains of the Terai and Dooars regions.
Asper IANS, the situation has turned critical in three additional districts in north Bengal: North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, and Cooch Behar. This escalation is attributed to the Teesta River’s swelling due to flash floods in the neighboring Sikkim hills.
Since Wednesday night, three floating bodies, including that of a woman, were discovered in the Gajadoba area of Jalpaiguri district. Authorities are uncertain whether these bodies belong to locals or were carried by floodwaters from the hills.
The flood situation in Gajoldoba exacerbated as the lock-gates of the barrage had to be opened to release the heavy rush of water.
In the hilly regions of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, some areas have become completely isolated from the mainland due to the alarming flood situation. Over 5,000 individuals have been rescued from these isolated pockets by the dedicated rescue teams.
West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose arrived in North Bengal on Thursday to assess the flood situation. He altered his schedule outside the state to reach the Bagdogra Airport near Siliguri in North Bengal and proceeded directly to the flood-affected areas.
Responding to comments from the state irrigation Minister Partha Bhowmik, who referred to the Governor as a “tourist” in North Bengal, Governor Bose quipped, “Yes, he is right that I am a tourist. I wish some of my junior appointees in the state cabinet could accompany me as tourists here.”
The Trinamool Congress leadership also noted that the Governor’s visit to North Bengal on Thursday was not coincidental. They believe it is related to the party’s ‘March to Raj Bhavan’ protest in Kolkata against the actions of Delhi Police concerning elected representatives of Trinamool Congress at Krishi Bhavan in Delhi on Tuesday evening.