Cyclone Amphan: West Bengal asks Railway Board to not send Shramik trains till May 26

In the wake of Cyclone Amphan, West Bengal has written to the Indian Railway Board to not send any Shramik special trains to the state till May 26. 

Chief Secretary of West Bengal Rajiv Sinha in his letter mentioned that "As district administration is involved with relief and rehabilitation works (due to Cyclone Amphan), it will not be possible to receive special trains for the next few days." Sinha further added that they will revise the proposal dated May 20 and send it back soon. 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that 60 percent of the people in the state have been affected by the devastating cyclone, and around 80 people have lost their lives.

Read: 'Bengal will fight back': CM Mamata confirms 80 dead & 60% people hit by Cyclone Amphan

Cyclone Amphan in West Bengal

Cyclone Amphan which reported winds up to 190 kmph made landfall at the Digha coast of West Bengal at 2:30 pm on Wednesday, hitting Kolkata a few hours later. There were widespread power cuts in large parts of Kolkata, North 24 Paraganas, and South Paraganas. Mobile and internet services were also down in parts of the state as the cyclone damaged several communication towers. 

Streets and homes in low lying areas of Kolkata were swamped with rainwater. Portions of several dilapidated buildings came crashing down in Kolkata and other parts of the state. Embankments in Sundarban delta - a UNESCO site - were also breached as the surge whipped up by the cyclone inundated several kilometers of the island. 

Read: PM Modi announces Rs 1000 Cr aid to WB; Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for victims of Cyclone Amphan

PM Modi announces Rs 2 lakh Ex-Gratia

After taking stock of the situation in West Bengal on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the deceased persons. He also said that the Central government will allocate Rs 1,000 crore for an advance immediate assistance of West Bengal. He also announced Rs 50,000 each to the injured persons. 

Read: WB BJP president Dilip Ghosh stopped from visiting cyclone Amphan-affected areas

Read: PM Modi & WB CM Mamata Banerjee conduct aerial survey of Cyclone Amphan-hit areas; Watch