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Kolkata: The army was called out in West Bengal's West Midnapur district yesterday to tackle the worsening flood situation that has caused five deaths and affected 1.6 million people.
The situation turned grim in East and Midnapur districts.
About 53,000 people were rescued and 40,000 shifted to safer places, even as the weatherman predicted more rainfall in the state.
The state received 62.4 mm rains in 24 hours till Wednesday noon.
"About 1.6 million people have been affected due to the floods," state Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta told newspersons after a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya at the state secretariat.
He said 350 tonnes of rice, 25,000 tarpaulin sheets have been sent to the affected areas, and Rs2.5 billion (Dh208 million) sanctioned for emergency relief.
A defence spokesman said one team each from 3 Madras Regiment and 6 Engineers Regiment of the Indian Army were being sent to assist the district administration in relief and rescue operations in the severely affected Sabong, Narayangarh and Pingla areas of West Midnapur district.
Air Force speedboats have been deployed to rescue marooned people in Belda, the spokesman said.
Train services over South Eastern Railway's Howrah-Kharagpur section was badly hit, due to heavy rainfall in Kharagpur of West Midnapur district and Contai in East Midnapur district.
Eighteen long-distance trains were cancelled, while several trains have been stranded at various stations due to waterlogging on the tracks.
Raj Kanojia, state inspector general of police (law and order), said five deaths were reported in the West Midnapur district due to the floods.
Eleven houses were damaged in landslides triggered by heavy rains at five municipal wards of the Kurseong sub-division in Northern West Bengal.
Daybed Dash, Kurseong sub-divisional officer, said some people had to be shifted to safer places, while a relief centre was opened at the St Joseph Primary School.
Assam: Deluge recedes
Thousands of people were returning to their homes in Assam yesterday with floodwaters receding as authorities sounded a health alert to prevent the outbreak of any waterborne diseases.
"The flood situation\ has improved considerably with no overnight rain. People are heading back to their homes, but thousands of them are still in makeshift shelters as their homes are filled with mud and slush," said Assam's Revenue Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Bhumidhar Barman. "We have set up more than 100 camps and are providing relief materials and medicines to the people," Barman said.
A Central Water Commission bulletin yesterday said the main Brahmaputra river and its tributaries were still above the danger mark in some places although the trend was receding.
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