By IANS
Kolkata : Spells of heavy rain have been forecast in West Bengal's Gangetic districts even as the toll in the past three days rose to 15 with more deaths reported Thursday.
G.C. Debnath, regional director of the meteorological department at Alipur, said heavy to very heavy rains with stormy winds at a speed of 55 km per hour are likely to hit Gangetic West Bengal districts in the next 48 hours.
"Over 25 cm of rainfall might take place in some areas of south Bengal. The fishermen in the coastal areas have also been asked not to go for fishing in the deep sea," Debnath said.
A depression over the Bay of Bengal had moved 50 km north of Kolkata, weather officials said.
West Bengal Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia confirmed the death of 14 people. However, district officials said a 32-year-old farmer died in lightening in Purulia district Thursday, taking the toll to 15.
The deaths were reported from Hoogly, coastal Midnapur and North 24 Parganas districts too.
Unconfirmed reports put the toll at 17 as TV channels reported death of two more people in the industrial town of Durgapur.
Reports from Purulia district said three people were critically injured as a house collapsed at Bandwan.
On Wednesday Mohammad Naushad, 7, and his brother Mohammad Akhtar, 10, drowned in rainwater in Kolkata's twin town Howrah. But police later said it could not be related to the heavy downpour.
On Tuesday eight deaths were reported from Kolkata and its adjoining districts, including seven from an incident of wall collapse. Six of a family, including kids, had died in the wall collapse in South 24 Parganas district's Bishnupur area.
With the torrential rains pounding Gangetic West Bengal, many highways and villages went under water. Two cracks were also spotted in the dam on the Haldi river in East Midnapur district.
Railway officials suspended the 'toy train service' in Darjeeling district in the north Thursday due to frequent landslides. The landslides took place close to the Tindharia railway station Wednesday.
West Bengal civil defence controller Akhil Roy told IANS that about 70 people have been sent to different places in south Bengal with relief boats and relief materials.
West Bengal Relief Minister Mortaja Hossain said that all affected districts have been alerted in view of the situation and the state government is also trying to help them with all possible support.
Government health workers and volunteers in many areas in the affected districts are distributing medicines and disinfectants to prevent epidemic.
Several local trains and long distance trains in Howrah and Sealdah section were cancelled, railway officials said. Bus services were also disrupted in Kolkata.
However, flights at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport were normal.
To monitor waterlogging, West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta, Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Ashok Bhattacharya and Relief Minister Hossain along with Kolkata mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya toured several inundated areas of north Kolkata Thursday – the worst affected part of metropolis during the three-day downpour.
Boats were still plying in parts of north Kolkata.
The ministers failed to give any definite assurance to the local residents of Mechua, Girish Park and Muktaram Babu Street areas in north Kolkata but said the state irrigation department and Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) were trying to pump out the water as early as possible.
Dasgupta instructed the city's power utility provider CESC Ltd to ensure uninterrupted power service to all the localities in and around Kolkata.
Meanwhile, prices of fresh vegetables and fish have shot up.