Saturday, October 22 2005 15:53 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Unseasonal rains lashing West Bengal for the fourth consecutive day today (Oct 22, 2005), claimed two more lives and affected a population of over eight lakh in six districts with more heavy showers forecast in next 24 hours.

Relief Minister H A Sairani, who visited waterlogged areas in Barasat in North 24 Parganas district told PTI that two more deaths occurred in South 24 Parganas district. The deaths were caused by electrocution.

Two persons had died yesterday, one each in East Midnapore and South 24 Parganas, taking the toll in the last four days to four.

Nearly 20,000 people were in relief camps, of which 17,000 were in worst-hit East Midnapore, the minister said.

The rains flattened huts, toppled trees, power and telephone poles and damaged road bridges and crops, reports from districts said.

Normal life in Kolkata remained hit with fresh spells of heavy rain.

Seven wards were inundated in Contai sub-division in East Midnapore, while in Bongaon, Bagda and Gaighata areas in North 24 Parganas farmers lost all standing crop due to rising waters of the Ichamati river.

The Government has allocated an additional 12,000 pieces of tarpaulin and additional 300 tonnes of rice in affected areas where the administration was asked to use country boats to reach remote places.

Besides, East Midnapore, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas districts, West Midnapore, Howrah, Hooghly, Purulia and Kolkata were among the affected ones.

The rains hit normal train services on both Eastern and South Eastern Railways Sealdah and Howrah divisions.

SE Railway sources said several trains were terminated.

These included the Purulia Express which was terminated at Santragachi because of waterlogging at Tikiapara and Howrah, while the Kurla Express was diverted to Shalimar instead of Howrah.

The Regional Meteorological Centre here said that a low pressure belt, lying over the West Bengal-North Orissa coast yesterday, weakened at night and moved north.

It was positioned along the low pressure axis spread from Tamil Nadu to Arunachal Pradesh today.

Under its influence, heavy rains would occur at most places over West Bengal and Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and many places in the rest of the region.

Heavy rains were likely to occur at a few places over Gangetic West Bengal in next 24 hours.

Heavy to very heavy rains were likely at a few places over Sikkim and sub-Himalayan West Bengal during the next 48 hours, besides at isolated places over Andaman & Nicobar, Tripura, Bihar and Jharkhand.

The statewide alert was still continuing in view of the heavy rains coupled with the forecast for more rain.