Alipurduar: A 30-minute Nor'wester wreaked havoc across several parts of Alipurduar district on Tuesday evening, leaving nearly half the region without electricity for close to 24 hours and damaging critical polling infrastructure ahead of elections.
The storm swept through Alipurduar, Kalchini, Madarihat and parts of the Kumargram Assembly constituencies, bringing strong winds that uprooted trees, snapped branches, and tore down electric cables. Several houses were damaged, particularly in Ward No. 3 of Alipurduar Municipality, where tin roofs were blown away by the gusts.
Near Alipurduar University-designated as a Distribution cum Receiving Centre (DCRC) for five Assembly constituencies-a large tree collapsed, adding to the disruption. In the town area, uprooted trees along Park Road obstructed movement and affected normal life.
The storm also caused significant damage to tents set up for polling personnel and election materials at the DCRC centre. Two Block Development Officers (BDOs) were injured after a tent structure collapsed during the storm. Kalchini BDO Mithun Majumdar and Alipurduar-I Block BDO Arijit Das sustained injuries, with Das currently admitted to Alipurduar District Hospital.
Large parts of the district headquarters plunged into darkness due to extensive damage to power lines. According to officials, multiple polling stations across the affected constituencies suffered infrastructural damage.
Alipurduar Sub-Divisional Officer Richard Lepcha stated: "The storm has caused significant damage. Several polling stations have been affected. Assessment of losses is underway, and we are working on a war footing to manage the situation."
WBSEDCL Regional Manager Partha Pratim Mandal said that 74 electric poles were uprooted, and several cables were torn down due to falling trees.
He added that although most polling booths initially faced power disruptions, connections have been largely restored through overnight efforts. A comprehensive assessment of total losses is still in progress.