Cyclone Titli gaining strength, Gangetic WB to get heavy to very heavy rainfall

With the very severe cyclonic storm Titli gaining strength in the Bay of Bengal, the Met department Wednesday warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall in the Gangetic West Bengal until Friday.

Under the impact of the cyclone, coastal and over-land areas of East and West Midnapore, Jhargram, South and North 24 Parganas districts in Bengal will experience squally wind, with speed reaching up to 60 kmph from Wednesday evening onwards, the weatherman said.

Tourists at seaside resort towns of Digha, Sankarpur, Mandarmani and other places along the coast in the state have been advised "not to undergo any seawater-bound activities during this period," the Met department said.

The weatherman warned fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the coasts of West Bengal, Odisha, deep sea areas of North Bay and Central Bay of Bengal till October 12.

Following the forecast, the Indian Railways decided to halt train services between Khurda Road in Odisha and Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh.

SER spokesman Sanjay Ghosh said, "It has been decided not to allow train services between Khurda Road and Vizianagaram from both directions after 10.00 PM Wednesday till further advice."