‘I can apologise or you can cut off my head’: Mamata Banerjee on protests over Cyclone Amphan response

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has urged folks in areas hit by Cyclone Amphan to have persistence because the administration is working tirelessly to revive water and energy provide. She maded the remarks after protests erupted in state capital Kolkata and different cyclone-hit areas.

“This is huge disaster. Our teams are working very seriously. At least 1,000 teams are working in the state. Along with them local youths are also working,” she stated on Saturday night.

“The police, besides maintaining lockdown and law and order, are also helping in the restoration process,” Banerjee stated on the state secretariat.

Cyclone Amphan has claimed 86 lives in West Bengal and precipitated havoc in no less than 14 districts, primarily in South 24 Parganas, Kolkata, North 24 Parganas and East Midnapore districts.

Many areas in south Kolkata are with out energy because the cyclone ravaged the state. So, there have been protests in lots of components of town – from Behala within the south to Belgharia in north Kolkata. The protests continued for the second consecutive day on Saturday. The protesters, lots of whom had been girls, stated they’re beneath excessive hardship as there was no electrical energy and water for the previous three days and repeated calls to energy utilities CESC and WBSEDCL went unanswered.

In just a few locations, clashes between the police and indignant protesters had been additionally reported.

When requested concerning the scenario of electrical energy in Kolkata, Banerjee stated, “I know you are inconvenienced, I can apologise to you, or you can cut off my head. We are also human, we are working very hard. We are staying awake all night. 1 crore people are homeless. How are those people enduring who have no drinking water?” she stated.

People ought to perceive the bottom actuality and have persistence, the chief minister stated.

“I have called up the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) at least 10 times. Even I do not have proper phone network… I cannot watch television at home,” Banerjee stated.

Scores of Army personnel had been deployed in Kolkata and neighbouring districts of West Bengal on Saturday to assist the authorities restore normalcy within the wake of the protests.

The West Bengal authorities had requested the Centre to deply Army within the state for restoration of important infrastructure and providers within the wake of the destruction brought on by Cyclone Amphan.

Five columns of the Army had been deployed in numerous components of town and North and South 24 Parganas districts – the three worst-hit districts of the state.