Kolkata: Flashback to May 2019 when ‘cyclone Fani’ caused major havoc in Odisha and little destruction in West Bengal. However, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee reportedly had refused to hold a review meeting with PM Modi, stating officials in the state were busy with the ongoing Lok Sabha election duty. Mamata, on the other hand, claimed PM Modi had only called Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik but did not reach out to her. However, the Centre rubbished the claims.
A year later, things have changed drastically, as the destruction caused by cyclone Amphan in West Bengal has left the state administration helpless. Politics has taken a backseat for the moment for the Trinamool Congress, which has been trying to protect its turf for the 2021 Assembly election. Assistance from the BJP-led Centre is the state government’s only hope to win back people’s confidence, that is already dampened by the COVID-19 pandemic and now the aftermath of the cyclone.
The devastation caused by cyclone Amphan in 6 districts, prompted the West Bengal government to call in the Army on Saturday to clear roads blocked by uprooted trees and restore essential services like electricity, water and communication services. 5 columns of the Indian Army have been sent in after the Centre accepted Mamata’s request. Each column has 35 personnel.
Also, Principal Secretary Disaster Management and Civil Defence, Govt of West Bengal, reached out to the central government for more assistance apart from the 26 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams sent to the state.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sent 10 more teams on Saturday. “GOWB mobilises maximum strength in unified command mode on 24x7 basis for immediate restoration of essential infrastructure and services asap. Army support has been called for, NDRF and SDRF teams deployed,” read a West Bengal Govt tweet. -- Prema Rajaram
