Raiganj, May 19 -- A severe storm accompanied by relentless rainfall battered parts of North Dinajpur on Sunday evening, leaving a trail of destruction across Kaliyaganj and Raiganj police station areas.

The sudden downpour led to extensive waterlogging, uprooted trees and electric poles, damaged homes and disrupted power supply.

In Kaliyaganj, several wards were submerged due to the heavy rainfall. Key areas like Mahendraganj Bazar, Hospital Road, Chiraile Para, School Para, Simultala, Akhanagar and Pubna Colony experienced significant water accumulation. Numerous huts were damaged, and crops such as paddy and maize suffered extensive damage. The storm, lasting over an hour, uprooted trees and tore electric wires, resulting in power outages that persisted through the night.

Ramniwas Saha, Chairman of Kaliyaganj Municipality, visited the affected areas on Monday morning. He assured residents of prompt assistance, stating: "Our municipality labourers are working to bring the situation back to normal." He also mentioned that officials from the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited are diligently working to restore power.

Raiganj faced similar challenges, with heavy overnight rainfall causing waterlogging in several areas, including MG Road near Asha Talkies More, the Municipal Bus Terminus, Bokultala, Bidrohi More and Hospital Road. Knee-deep water inundated shops along Hospital Road, damaging goods in approximately 50 establishments. Pradip Chowdhury, a medicine shop owner, lamented, "Our goods were damaged due to water logging."

Sandeep Biswas, Chairperson of the Board of Administrators of Raiganj Municipality, reported that municipal workers promptly addressed the situation on Monday morning. Kingshuk Maity, Sub-Divisional Officer of Raiganj, confirmed that household items and crops, including maize and paddy, were damaged due to the storm and rainfall in Kaliyaganj and parts of Raiganj. He added: "Our officials from the agriculture office and civil defense are preparing damage reports and temporary relief materials, including tarpaulin sheets, have been distributed to affected families."

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.