Kolkata: Normal life in the North Bengal section was influenced on Wednesday due to heavy rains in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Jalpaiiguri triggered landslides and caused damage to roads and bridges, limiting vehicle movements in various places, officials said.
The Meteorology Department issued a ‘red’ warning for Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Alipurduar, predicted “very heavy rain in one or two places” in these districts until Thursday morning.
Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar tended to receive heavy rain until very heavy during the period, he said.
Road connectivity in several Kalimpong District places, connecting the city of Kalimpong with several hamlets such as Pedong, Lava and Algara, flinched because of landslides, officials said.
Water from the Teesta River which overflows the 10 national highway that connects Siliguri with Sikkim Capital Gangtok in the Teesta Bazar region, disturbing the movement of vehicles, they said.
A bridge on the River Balalas in Matigara on the outskirts of Siliguri in Darjeeling District was also damaged.
Police Commissioner Siliguri Gaurav Sharma said the vehicle was diverted to another route due to bridge damage, while motorbike riders and pedestrians were allowed to use it.
“We urge people to make plans for a long trip to achieve their goals because of the transfer,” he told reporters.
Hundreds of tourists, who have packed the hills during the season of Durga Puja, face difficulties in traveling to the next destination or reaching the train station or the Bagdogra airport to go home, because of the rain and landslides that are unrelenting, the official said.
Some lowland areas in the Jalpaiguri district have been flooded with the increase in the surface of Teesta and Rivers Balidhaka.
People from these areas are transferred to safe places to take refuge.
Darjeeling received 233.8 mm rainfall, the highest in the state in 24 hours to 8:30 a.m.
on Wednesday, followed by Kalimpong (199 mm), Jalpaiguri (151 mm) and Cooch Behar (60.9 mm).
The water level in the torsa and several other rivers in this region have begun to increase due to heavy rain.
The meeting department said the condition of bad weather would apply in sub-Himalayas Regency until Thursday morning.
Weather in the southern district of West Bengal, which received heavy rain since October 17 because the low pressure system, increased rapidly on Wednesday, although the meeting department said the storm with lightning on one or two places is likely in the region.
Dry weather will win in the southern part of the country from Thursday, he added.