South Bengal braces for heavy rain as Bay low-pressure system intensifies

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Kolkata, July 4 (IANS) The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) at Alipore has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall across south Bengal districts, including Kolkata, till Monday, as a low-pressure area over the northwest Bay of Bengal is expected to intensify into a depression. 

“A low pressure is present in the northwest Bay of Bengal. It will increase in strength and turn into a depression. Then this new system will move west and northwest. This will cause heavy to very heavy rain in south Bengal districts till Monday. Due to this, the sea in the north Bay of Bengal will remain rough. Accordingly, fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea till Monday,” said the official.

However, there is no sign of heavy rain in North Bengal for now.

The Met office said scattered heavy rainfall is likely in parts of south Bengal on Saturday, particularly in South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore districts. Light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph is expected across all south Bengal districts.

An orange alert for very heavy rain is in effect in South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore. A yellow alert for heavy rain is in effect in Jhargram, West Midnapore and Howrah districts for Sunday. A yellow alert for heavy rain will be in force in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas, and East Burdwan and West Burdwan. A scattered heavy rain warning is in place in the rest of the districts.

Yellow alerts for heavy rainfall will continue on Monday in East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Jhargram, Bankura, Purulia, South 24 Parganas, West Burdwan and Birbhum districts. Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning are also likely in parts of South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In contrast, North Bengal is not expected to witness any major rainfall activity till Monday. However, all districts in the region remain under a yellow alert for light to moderate rain and lightning.

Meanwhile, Kolkata recorded a maximum temperature of 33.2 degrees Celsius on Friday, 0.6 degrees above normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 26.7 degrees Celsius, which was normal for the season.

–IANS

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Following the incident, Air Force officers and police teams reached the scene and launched an investigation.

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ED attaches UAE-based fugitive’s Gurugram properties valued at Rs 90 crore

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The ED’s Gurugram Zonal Office attached various plots, residential and commercial properties owned by Yadav and his wife Reena Kumari, the official said in a statement.

The ED had issued provisional attachment order under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, on Thursday for attaching the immovable properties.

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“In the FIRs, it has been alleged that Yadav, owner and key controller of Gem Records Entertainment Private Limited (operating as ‘Gems Tunes’), is a known strongman involved in criminal activities like murder, extortion, coercive settlements of loans given by private financers, fraud, cheating, illegal land grabbing, and violent offences,” the ED statement said.

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The ED investigation revealed that corporate houses like Apollo Green Energy Limited and others allegedly availed huge private loans from private financers based in Dighal at Jhajjar in Haryana and issued postdated cheques as security.

“The investigation established that Yadav acted as a strongman and enforcer, who facilitated coercive settlements of these high-value private loan disputes running into hundreds of crores of rupees, through threats, intimidation and the use of armed associates/local armed gangs with the involvement of organised crime syndicates operating from abroad,” the ED said.

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“Despite being given multiple opportunities, Yadav has not joined investigation by allegedly residing in the UAE thereby evading due process of law,” the ED said.

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Bengal: Jhalmuri vendor, who treated PM Modi with local snack, gets death threats from abroad

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The Jhalmuri vendor shot into the limelight and became a national figure overnight after PM Modi took a brief halt at his shop during the high-voltage campaign, to get a taste of the local Bengali snack. The light-hearted exchange between the jhalmuri vendor and PM Modi became the talk of the town and also hogged the national headlines, while he became a ‘star jhalmuri vendor’.

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The shopkeeper named Vikram Sao says that he is worried for himself and his family as he fears that the callers may conspire to do something sinister to harm him.

Speaking to IANS, he said, “I am getting repeated threat calls from Pakistan via video and phone calls. They are threatening to blow me up with bombs.”

“Those making video calls to me are making frightening gestures to frighten me and also brandishing weapons, and they warned me that you will face dire consequences,” he added.

Vikram Sao said that he didn’t pick up many calls, but the phone didn’t stop ringing. He said that the callers are calling him names and also hurling expletives.

“There are threatening calls from Bangladesh, who are trying to terrorise me. They ask me, Are you alive or dead?” he stated.

“I have also received WhatsApp messages, asking that you will be killed in a bomb explosion,” he further said.

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