Siliguri, July 17 (Siliguri Chronicle) – Continuous rain and strong winds for more than 24 hours caused minor landslides, damaged several houses, uprooted trees, and flooded parts of north Bengal on Wednesday.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Darjeeling recorded around 72mm of rainfall, Siliguri 64mm, and Malda 63mm in the 24 hours leading up to Wednesday morning.
Two persons, including a minor girl, were buried alive under debris in areas under the Pulbazar police station in Darjeeling district.
In Charchare Bari Jamuney, Pranit Jogo, 32, an excavator driver, died after debris fell on him. In Lower Goke, six-year-old Samanta Subba lost her life after being buried under debris.
A source in the district disaster management office in Darjeeling said heavy wind and rain had been lashing the hills since Tuesday evening.
A house was damaged in Takdah, under Rongli Rongliot block, after a tree fell on it. A landslide was reported at the Pulung Dong tea estate in Sukhiapokhri block.
“Minor landslides occurred in wards 5, 12, 13, 14 and 23. The Tenzing Norgay Road in Darjeeling was blocked for a couple of hours in the morning because of landslides. The quick response team from the civil defence department cleared the debris in the afternoon,” said the source.
The rainfall also triggered a landslide at Swetijhora, about 35km from Siliguri, along NH10.
Traffic on the highway was halted for some time due to the landslide but resumed around 1.30pm after the debris was cleared.
Since Tuesday night, the rain caused waterlogging in at least six wards of Malda town, affecting around 10,000 residents. Localities such as Subhaspally, Prantapally, Sarbamangalapally, Krishnapally, Malanchapally, and nearby areas were flooded.
Residents were seen walking through knee-deep water, expressing frustration over the town’s poor sewerage system.
Kanak Kumar Das, a government employee, said: “It rains for two days… and we are in soup. This is nothing new. We listen to large promises every year, but the situation during the monsoon remains unchanged.”
The BJP questioned whether the ₹3 crore allocated for improving the sewerage system in Malda town had been properly utilised by the Trinamool Congress-run Englishbazar municipality.
Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury, the civic chairman, said: “It rained heavily over the past 48 hours. The water started receding in the evening. People are aware that we are sincerely working for the improvement of the drainage system.”
Heavy rain has been forecast in north Bengal and Sikkim over the next couple of days.
