Centre sends troops after Mamata SOS for Army help
86 dead, over 6cr people affected in WB
Responding to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s SOS to the Centre to send in the Army to help restore the state’s infrastructure and essential services, the Indian Army deployed five columns of its troops in and around Kolkata Saturday afternoon.
So far Cyclone Amphan has claimed 86 lives and more than six crore people out of the state’s population of 10 crore have been affected in what the chief minister has called to be “bigger than the national disaster.”
The state government sought the Army’s assistance as many prime parts of Kolkata and its suburbs are still inaccessible due to uprooting of big trees and electric poles. Due to these blockades, electric and water supply are yet to be restored in several parts and that has led common people to come out in protest against the state government.
The CM said, “We requisitioned the Army for assistance. They have started working.”
Eastern Command spokesperson Wing
Commander Mandeep Hudda said, “Five columns have been deployed by the Army on the request of the state government at Tollygunge, Ballygunge, Rajarhat, New Town, Diamond Harbour and Behala. They are equipped with road and tree clearance equipment.” Each column has 35 soldiers.
By Saturday evening, Kolkata’s Southern Avenue and BMC Circular Road in Behala were cleared, a senior
Army officer said. Plagued by protests and complaints against power and water supply not being restored in many parts of Kolkata even three days after the cyclone, Ms Banerjee had expressed her anguish against the CESC, run by industrialist Sanjeev Goenka. “There are some areas in the city which have no electricity. People need to be patient. I spoke to Mr Goenka many times on Friday. Our chief secretary Rajiva Sinha also followed it up with him.”