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 KOLKATA: With the very severe cyclonic storm Titli gaining strength in the Bay of Bengal, the Met department on 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." Long distance trains slated to pass through East Coast Railway jurisdiction between Khurda Road and Vizianagaram on Howrah-Chennai main line may be diverted via Kharagpur-Jharsuguda-Nagpur-Balharshah-Vijayawada route, he said. The 12841 Howrah-Chennai Coromandel Express, 12863 Howrah-Yesvantpur Express, 12504 Agartala-Bengaluru Cant Humsafar Express have been diverted via Kharagpur-Jharsuguda-Sambalpur-Rayagada-Vizianagaram route. Wednesday's 12839 Howrah-Chennai Mail has been rescheduled to leave Howrah at 8 am on Thursday, while 12660 Gurudev Express of Wednesday will leave Shalimar at 8.15 am the next day. The weatherman said cyclone Titli lay centred about 730 km south-southwest of Kolkata at 8.30 am Wednesday and is likely to cross Odisha and adjoining north Andhra Pradesh coasts between Gopalpur and Kalingapatnam by Thursday morning. Following its landfall, the severe cyclonic storm is very likely to re-curve northeastwards, move towards Gangetic West Bengal across Odisha and weaken gradually, the Met department said. It said that gale wind speed reaching 100-110 kmph, gusting to 125 kmph, was prevailing over deep sea areas of west-central and adjoining north Bay of Bengal and will gradually increase to 120 to 130 kmph, gusting to 145 kmph, from Wednesday evening to Thursday forenoon.<doc-sep>Cloud covered on Kolkata sky on Wednesday. A depression over Bay of Bengal is likely to grow into a cyclonic storm, named Titli, during the next 48 hours and trigger heavy rainfall. (Express photo by Subham Dutta) Cloud covered on Kolkata sky on Wednesday. A depression over Bay of Bengal is likely to grow into a cyclonic storm, named Titli, during the next 48 hours and trigger heavy rainfall. (Express photo by Subham Dutta) With warnings of heavy rain owing to cyclone Titli casting a shadow on Durga Puja festivities that begin next week, pandal decorators are working overtime to complete orders. The weather department has predicted “heavy to very heavy showers” till Saturday. Argho Chatterjee, organiser of a community puja in Joramandir, said, “The moment we heard about the cyclone, we wanted to complete pandal work fast so the idol could be placed one or two days prior to schedule. We have increased the number of labourers from 10 to 16. Labour costs have risen because of overtime and it is effecting us more because ours is a low-budget puja.” One of the biggest challenges is the transportation of idols. Famous female idol-maker Kanchi Pal, who is suffering from high fever, has been busy trying to complete her last few orders. Speaking to The Indian Express, she said, “We don’t know when it might start raining. Yesterday, I had to rush to cover Maa Durga’s statue because it suddenly started raining. I have made 50 statues this year, of which I have delivered 20. The remaining 30 are almost complete. We usually keep Durga statues in open areas. If it rains heavily, our labour cost will increase. We use kerosene to dry the idol. Organisers bring polythene sheets to cover the idols, but for wrapping the deities we need extra manpower.” In Kumartuli, another idol-maker said, “We are already about 20 per cent behind in our work. If it rains, I don’t know how we will deliver on time.” Another pointed out that if it rains heavily, artisans have to touch up the paint on the idols, which is an arduous process. Pritam Pal, a member of a Salt Lake-based puja committee, said, “It is not just about a statue, our emotions are attached to it. A lot of people believe it is not good fortune to bring a broken idol.” Organisers, however, are sure that no rain will dampen the festive spirit. Subir Das, organiser of the Bhowanipore 75 Palli puja, said, “Today, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated our pandal. This time, our theme will take people down memory lane; the things our parents used to enjoy. In those days, ever cartoons had a constructive message. The rain will not stop the people of Bengal from enjoying Durga Puja. It comes only once a year. Last time, lots of people had braved the rain to come to our pandal. We, however, have taken precautions”.<doc-sep>
KOLKATA: After cyclone Titli hit the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coast with the wind speed touching 126 km/hour on Thursday, it re-curved slower than expected on landfall, losing intensity and sparing Kolkata heavy showers. While the city received just a few spells of light drizzle instead of the intense rain that had been predicted, showers could lash Kolkata from Friday afternoon as the storm finally re-curves and reaches Gangetic Bengal in the form of a depression. The rain could continue till Saturday morning, said the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC).“A cyclone usually curves after hitting land which helps the system retain intensity. But Titli continued to move in a north-westerly direction for six hours after hitting land at 11.30am. So, it kept losing intensity and turned into a cyclonic storm and later, a deep depression. By the time it reaches Gangetic Bengal on Friday morning, it will have turned into a depression. The city could receive moderate showers under its impact from Friday afternoon,” said RMC director G K Das.Earlier, the cyclone had moved west-northwestwards at a speed of 13 km/hour and hit the Andhra-Odisha coast, triggering heavy rain. But the devastating effects of the cyclone were hardly felt in Kolkata, which was bracing for a wet run-up to the Puja. Other than a couple of light drizzles, the city remained dry, though cloudy. “It would have rained heavily had the cyclone curved on landfall. But it took unusually long to turn. But since Titli is reaching Gangetic Bengal slightly later than expected, the showers could linger, too. But we expect the skies to be clear by October 14,” said a weather scientist.Meanwhile, 20 flights arriving in Kolkata were delayed and one departing flight from the city was cancelled owing to cyclone Titli.“Flight and train operations have taken a major hit, disrupting travel along the east coast. About 16% of the inbound and outbound flights from Bhubaneshwar have been cancelled, and 27% of the flights to and from Vizag have been delayed. While no major impact has been seen on Kolkata yet, weather reports indicate heavy rain in Bengal over the next 24 hours, which may lead to flight and train cancellations,” said Aloke Bajpai, CEO and co-founder of travel portal Ixigo.The Met office has predicted heavy to very heavy showers across south Bengal on Friday and Saturday. Howrah, Hoogly, East and West Midnapore, Burdwan, South and North 24 Parganas, Murshidabad , Birbhum and Nadia are expected to receive rain over the next 48 hours.