Cyclone Bulbul makes landfall in Odisha; Vistara, IndiGo suspend flights on Nov 9 and 10

Cylone 'Bulbul' has made a landfall in several parts of Odisha on Saturday. A large number of trees and electric poles were rooted out in Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Bhadrak districts of Odisha, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) P K Jena said.

As per weather forecasters, cyclone Bulbul is likely to make a landfall in West Bengal or Bangladesh between 7 pm and 10 pm tonight. At present, cyclone Bulbul is 130 km east-southeast of Paradip-Odisha's port town.

Meanwhile, flight operations will remain suspended at Kolkata Airport from 6.00 pm today till 6.am on Sunday, November 10, said news agency ANI.

Indigo, in a statement said,  "Due to cyclone Bulbul, all flight operations to and from Kolkata  been suspended from today 6.00 pm to 6.00 am on Sunday".

#6ETravelAdvisory: Due to cyclone movement #Bulbul, all flight operations to/fro Kolkata have been suspended from today 6PM to 6AM in the morning tomorrow. You may visit Plan B https://t.co/p6kwomTvdX to opt for alternate options or get a refund.

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) November 9, 2019

It further mentioned that they were offering waivers cancellation/rescheduling fee for travel on November 9 and 10 for all flights to/from Kolkata.

#6ETravelUpdate: Due to cyclonic storm Bulbul we are offering waivers cancellation/rescheduling fee for travel on 9 Nov’19 &10 Nov’19 for all flights to/from Kolkata #BulbulCyclone

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) November 8, 2019

Passengers travelling via IndiGo planes can know their flight status by sending an SMS ST <flight no.><flight date> as DDMM, e.g. for instance, flight 6E-333 for Nov 09, send ST 333 0911 to 566772.

#BulBulCyclone Advisory: To know your flight status please download our mobile app or visit https://t.co/F83aKzKjyO or send an SMS ST <flight no.><flight date> as DDMM, e.g. for flight 6E-333 for Nov 08, send ST 333 0811 to 566772. pic.twitter.com/TNe0NXkx9y

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) November 8, 2019

#Update2pic.twitter.com/bhP9kUL0Cu

— Vistara (@airvistara) November 9, 2019

At present, several fire service personnel, along with National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) have started removing uprooted trees from roads to ensure smooth traffic .

Odisha: Fire Service personnel removing uprooted trees from roads in Baliapal area of Balasore. Very severe #CycloneBulbul is 130 km east-southeast of Paradip. pic.twitter.com/ulfpdDKQDI

— ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2019

On Friday, nearly 3,000 people were evacuated from vulnerable and low-lying areas in some coastal regions of the Odisha and West Bengal, according to an official.

The Kendrapara district administration has evacuated 1,070 people to safe shelters, and over 1,500 were shifted in Balasore and Jagatsinhgpur districts.

Issuing a "red warning to take action", the MeT advised, on Friday, the administration to ensure total suspension of fishing activities, ferry services, regulation of rail and road traffic.

"Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the rough seas in Odisha and West Bengal coastal regions in view of the cyclonic storm", said Bargotra, who is the Commander Coast Guard Region (North East).

'Bulbul' is being tracked by the Doppler Weather Radars at Gopalpur, Paradip and Kolkata in addition to other observing platforms," he said, adding, it triggered light-to-moderate rainfall at most places and heavy-to-very heavy downpour in some areas over coastal Odisha.

Incessant rain and squally wind have been lashing the coastal districts since Friday, with the intensity increasing gradually.

(With PTI inputs)

Also read: Cyclone Bulbul: IMD warns Odisha, West Bengal of heavy rains; asks people to stay indoors