The railways has already suspended operations of trains in Odisha, the home ministry statement said. A total of 1.1 million people in Odisha were moved to safer areas and the state has advised the public to remain indoor on Friday. In West Bengal, it will affect the districts of East and West Medinipur, South- and North-24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Jhargram as well as Kolkata. In West Bengal capital Kolkata, authorities directed advertisers to take down all hoardings in the city. Digha, West Bengal’s most popular beach resort, is about 342km east of Puri, and close to the Odisha border.

Source: Hindustan Times May 02, 2019 20:48 UTC