KOLKATA, 19 AUG: Four more persons died today in West Midnapore and Malda taking flood-related death toll to 40 even as the meteorological department predicted heavy rainfall in the state over the
Despite a brief respite from heavy rain in Kolkata on Tuesday, the threat of floods loomed large over south Bengal even as some of the low-lying areas remained inundated and train services continued to be disrupted.
Soil erosion below the railway tracks led to the derailment of the Guwahati-Bangalore Express and the subsequent collision with the Azimgunj Fast Passenger in Malda district of West Bengal on Sunda
The compensation sum of around Rs 19 lakh allotted by the state government for re-building the houses flattened by storms were returned to the state government. The district administration is reported to have failed to use the amount for the purpose.
Malda, July 4: The rising rivers in the district, especially the Fulahar whose level has increased by three metres in the past 48 hours, have put in danger around 10,000 people who live along the banks in Ratua, Harishchandrapur and Manikchak.
According to irrigation department officials, the Fulahar has already eroded considerable chunks of land in Kahala and Debipur villages in Ratua.
Seventeen people have died and over nine lakh people have been affected in the nearly fortnight-long spell of rains in West Bengal. Ten districts have been affected by heavy floods, Disaster Management Minister Javed Khan has said in the Assembly.
He said that 25,750 mud houses have been damaged or washed away due to the rains caused by a depression.
