North Bengal flood situation grim, toll mounts to 32

At least 32 people have died and over 14 lakh people affected due to floods in six districts of north Bengal partly due to overflowing rivers of Bhutan, Bihar and Jharkhand.
"Since July 21, 32 people have died in the six districts in north Bengal. While 30 people drowned, two died due to snakebite. Besides, 104 domestic animals have died so far in the flood," a senior official in West Bengal's disaster management department said today.
Overflowing rivers entering West Bengal from Bhutan and states like Bihar and Jharkhand is the main reason for the flood in six north Bengal districts. The deluge is not just due to rains in the area, he said.

The highest number of 3,64,043 people hit by the calamity are in Malda, followed by 3,53,328 in Alipurduar, 1,78,546 in Jalpaiguri, 1,30,634 persons in Cooch Behar, 1,25,435 in South Dinajpur and 1,20,000 in North Dinajpur districts, the official said.
Altogether 622 relief camps have been opened with government aid, while nearly 800 such camps were opened by different NGOs, he said.
"At present, around 1,38,134 people have taken shelter at different relief camps in the affected districts," the officer said, adding nearly three lakh hectre agricultural land was submerged.

He said around eight NDRF and four SDRF teams were working in the six districts, while cooked food apart from dry food and drinking water was distributed.

Asked if the state was planning to seek assistance from the Centre, the officer said, "West Bengal has a very good infrastructure in dealing with flood. We have godowns in the districts to store food materials.
"Our men are well trained to tackle a situation like this ... As of now we have no such plan to ask for help from the Centre," he asserted.
Meanwhile, Eastern Railway will run four pairs of special trains from tomorrow to clear the rush of passengers between Sealdah and Malda, but train services beyond Malda to different destinations in north Bengal and Assam would continue to remain suspended owing to the flooding of tracks.

Eastern Railway sources said here one train would leave Sealdah and one from Malda on four consecutive days, an Eastern Railway spokesman said.
The trains will have general second class, sleeper class, AC two-tier and AC three-tier coaches, sources said.
Tracks at different places in Bihar, north Bengal and Assam continued to be submerged under flood water, affecting rail connectivity. As a result, all passenger train services connecting destinations in north Bengal and Assam from the metropolis remained suspended for the fourth consecutive day.
Eastern Railway cancelled 14 mail and express trains today, affecting thousands of travellers.
"Tracks are submerged at different places and train services can be restored only after the water recedes and tracks are tested to ensure safety," the ER spokesman said.