Nor’wester: 2, including minor, dead in Malda

Avijit Roy | MP | 22 May 2023 : Malda: Nor’wester in Malda claimed two lives, including a minor girl, on Sunday in Muchia. 

A 9-year-old girl named Rajashree Mandal from Tinghoria village which falls under the Baishnabnagar Police Station died on the spot after a wall in her grandmother’s room fell on her during the storm. 

She was visiting her maternal uncle’s house that day. 45-year-old, Banshi Badan Mandal, a resident of Anandnagar in Muchia Gram Panchayat area died after a branch of a tree fell on the pump house where he along with others took shelter to escape the storm. 

While Mandal died, others suffered injuries. Many blocks including Habibpur, Bamongola, Gazole, and Chanchal of Malda district suffered heavy damage after a violent storm hit the district on Sunday. 

Mud houses collapsed in several areas. Uprooted trees and electricity poles blocked several roads for a long time. The situation in the affected areas was taken care of on Monday morning because of the preparatory measures taken by the district Disaster Management department ahead of the storm. 

Nitin Singhania, District Magistrate of Malda, said: “Instructions have been given to the BDOs of different areas to get the reports of damage caused by the storm. Details of the damage will be provided only after receiving the report. 

The officers of the concerned departments are working on an emergency basis to clear the roads blocked by fallen trees and power poles. The power connections in those areas will be restored by the evening.” 

According to the district Disaster Management department, Manikchak, Old Malda and Habibpur blocks are worst affected and almost 125 families have suffered a loss. Relief works are on, water tanks have been placed at places, and pouches of drinking water are being distributed. 

Meanwhile, a banyan tree fell on the pandal of a marriage ceremony in Rampara of Muchia Gram Panchayat. An auto rickshaw along with the pandal was crushed under the banyan tree. The locals quickly rescued the people trapped inside the pandal and sent them to the Malda Medical College and Hospital. 

However, due to the department’s precautions made ahead of the storm, the damage-control procedure is moving quickly. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/norwester-2-including-minor-dead-in-malda-519531