The wind velocity is likely to touch 60 km per hour in the city and adjoining districts on Friday, the weatherman said.
The main business districts of the city wore a deserted look by Friday afternoon as the fear of devastation by the severe cyclonic storm Fani sent the people to the safety of their homes.
People who had gone out for work in the morning wrapped up their schedule as fast as possible, while many schools declared a holiday. The met department has forecast heavy to very heavy rains in most places of south Bengal, with extremely heavy falls at one or two places.
The wind velocity is likely to touch 60 km per hour in the city and adjoining districts on Friday, the weatherman said. Gale wind speed reaching 90 to 100 kmph, gusting to 115 kmph is very likely along and off West Bengal coast from midnight, while in the interior parts the wind speed may reach upto 80 kmph, according to the Met department.
Eastern and South Eastern Railway cancelled several trains to prevent any injury to passengers or damage to railway property.
"As a precautionary measure keeping in view the safety of passengers, SER's EMU service will run as per Sunday's schedule on May 3," its spokesman Sanjay Ghosh said Besides nine other up and 10 down EMU locals will also remain cancelled. Eastern Railway cancelled several EMU locals in its Sealdah south section from 3 pm to Friday midnight and planned to suspend operations from midnight till 6 am Saturday in the section, its spokesman Nikhil Chakraborty said.
Many offices in the city called it a day by early afternoon allowing employees to leave office early. HSBC Bank closed its branches in Kolkata at 12.30 pm in view of the potential impact of Cyclone Fani.Police made regular announcements in the city and adjoining districts asking people to stay indoors and measures to be taken in case of emergency.
Tourists have already left the seaside tourist towns of Digha, Mandarmoni, Shankarpur, Tajpur, Talsari, Bakkhali and Sagar Islands on the advise of the Met department and the West Bengal administration's directive.
The Met department has advised people in affected areas to remain indoors apprehending damage to property and people from the fury of the cyclone.
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