Siliguri storm uproots trees, triggers power cuts

SNS, SILIGURI, 20 MAY 2023 : A thunderstorm struck Siliguri town today, uprooting and breaking trees at several places in the town.

A giant tree was uprooted and it crashed onto a car at Sukna on National! ighway55 on the outskirts of the town. There were, however, no injuries in the incident, it is learnt.

The Met office recorded wind speed of 30-40 kmph.

The thunderstorm accompanied by lightning and light to moderate rain fall lashed the entire region today.

Sources said some children had sustained minor injuries after tree branches fell on their houses near Mahanda barrage at Fulbari.

According to officials of the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL), trees and their branches fell on 21 of the 143 electrical distribution feeders, triggering power cuts at several areas. Civil defence personnel and personnel of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) cut and removed trees that had snapped overhead electricity lines.

WBSEDCL officials said steps were being taken to restore the power connection and that the same had been restored at several places by evening. Around 22 teams of the WBSEDCL were working till late in the evening, it is learnt. Sources said several trees were uprooted at Hakim Para, Sevoke Road, Dabgram, behind Rabindra Mancha at Bagha Jatin Park, Pakurtala More, Eastern Bypass and some other places. disrupting vehicular traffic.

Trees also fell on some houses and shops. A tree fell on a shop near a private hospital at Tilak Road under Ward 12.The SMC has set up a monitoring cell, and officials said 10 towns had keen pressed into service to remove the around 20 trees that had fallen on the roads.

Director of the state meteorological centre, Sikkim, Indian Meteorological Department, Dr Gopi Nath Raha said, "Due to presence of upper air trough over north Bengal and adjoining Sikkim. and moreover moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal, thunderstorm activities would prevail during the next four-five days over the region."

Darjeeling District Magistrate S Ponnambalam said: "Only tree falling in the SMC and few minor house damages have been reported so far. No casualty has been reported so far."