Guwahati, June 27: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's helicopter made an emergency landing at the Sevoke air base near Siliguri on Tuesday afternoon due to bad weather.
She was going to Bagdogra after addressing a public gathering at Krinti, Jalpaiguri. TMC leader Rajib Banerjee confirmed that she was safe, reports said.
She is now travelling by road. Mamata Banerjee will return to Kolkata later this afternoon.
“CM West Bengal was on board EC-145 helicopter of Heligo Charters Pvt Ltd from Maal Bazaar to Bagdogra. Diverted to Sevoke road (Army helicopter base) due to heavy rains and low clouds at Bagdogra. All okay on ground at Sevoke road. Helicopter awaiting weather clearance. It was a precautionary landing,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday that the southwest monsoon has advanced over Delhi, Mumbai, West Bengal and other places across the country.
The monsoon, which had a slow start, has now made swift progress, covering numerous regions, including some parts of Maharashtra, entire Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, northeast India, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, east Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, most parts of Himachal Pradesh, and some parts of Haryana, the weather office said.