Agartala, April 27, 2024: Kailasahar, a town known for its tranquility in Unakoti district, was jolted awake at 3 am on Saturday by a sudden onslaught of a severe storm and hailstorm. The natural calamity caused extensive damage, affecting not only the physical infrastructure but also the livelihoods of the residents.
Several wards of Kailashahar Municipal Council area, including Durgapur, Uttar kacherghat, and Forest Office Road, witnessed the destruction of houses and business establishments. The full extent of the damage in the Municipal Council area is yet to be ascertained.
Among the most affected were local traders and artists who had their businesses adjacent to the Forest Office Road and Sub-Divisional Magistrate’s office. Clay-made idol artist Prasenjit suffered a significant loss of about Rs 2 to 3 lakh when two large trees fell on his establishment, destroying almost all the idols he had created and stored in his shop.
A similar fate befell another artist’s shop adjacent to Prasenjit’s. The natural calamity resulted in the loss of many small and large statues, along with the roofs of commercial establishments, amounting to lakhs of rupees. Subrata Rudra Pal, an artist from Srirampur, expressed his distress over the extensive damage caused by the disaster.
Upon receiving news of the calamity, Chairperson of Kailashahar Municipal Council Chapala Debroy and Vice-Chairperson Nitish Dey visited the affected areas. They have requested the victims to provide written documentation of the damage to the administrative officer and the sub-divisional magistrate. However, no administrative official had visited the site at the time of reporting.
In another incident, a long-standing tree opposite the fire station, adjacent to the Kailashahar Sub-Divisional Magistrate’s office, fell on a shop due to the storm. Shopkeeper Mitu Das of Boulapasha area reported a loss of about Rs 70 thousand.
The chairperson of the Municipal Council, after inspecting the area in the morning, reported that the calamity had uprooted electric poles in various areas, damaged roofs of some houses, and caused significant losses to many people, including traders. Speaking to reporters, KMC chairperson Debroy stated that she would discuss the issue with administrative officials and request assistance for the affected families and businesses.
