26 May 2024

• Cyclone: Cyclone Remal made landfall on the night of 25-26 May 2024 near Sagar Island in West Bengal and Mongla in Bangladesh, with wind speeds of 135 km/h.
• Evacuation: Over 1.1 million people were evacuated across West Bengal and Bangladesh before landfall. IMD's early warning enabled preparations.
• Fire aftermath: The Rajkot Gaming Zone fire (25 May) legal proceedings continued, with arrests made and political accountability raised.
• Mourning: Some states observed special mourning and halted campaigning in respect for the Rajkot fire victims.

GS area: Geography (Tropical Cyclones, Disaster Management)

Cyclone Remal made landfall on the night of 25-26 May 2024 in two simultaneous tracks: near Sagar Island (South 24 Parganas, West Bengal) and Mongla (Bagerhat district, Bangladesh).

• Classification: Remal was classified as a Severe Cyclonic Storm at landfall, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 120-135 km/h (gusting to 150 km/h).
• Name origin: "Remal" means "sand" in Arabic. The naming follows a rotation agreed by the WMO Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC) for the North Indian Ocean, and for 2024, Remal was in Oman's rotation.
• RSMC: IMD (India Meteorological Department) serves as the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre (RSMC) for the North Indian Ocean. This means IMD is the official body that tracks, names, and issues bulletins for tropical cyclones in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. The IMD chief is the RSMC Director.
• WMO cyclone naming panel: The 13-member panel for the North Indian Ocean includes India, Bangladesh, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Each member country contributes names.
• Evacuation: India and Bangladesh jointly evacuated over 1.1 million people ahead of landfall. The NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) deployed 70 teams.
• Impact zones: Sagar Island, Bakkhali, Digha, Fraserganj in West Bengal bore maximum force. North 24 Parganas was also affected. Kolkata airport temporarily suspended operations.
• Post-landfall: After landfall, the system weakened and moved northeast, bringing heavy rainfall to Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, and Mizoram over the following 48 hours.

Static linkage: Cyclone naming, RSMC, IMD, Bay of Bengal, disaster management.

GS area: Science and Technology (Meteorology, Disaster Preparedness)

Cyclone Remal provides a teaching moment on how tropical cyclone monitoring and response is organised.

• Cyclone classification scale (IMD): Depression (wind 31-61 km/h) → Deep Depression → Cyclonic Storm (>63 km/h) → Severe Cyclonic Storm (>89 km/h) → Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (>117 km/h) → Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm (>167 km/h) → Super Cyclonic Storm (>222 km/h).
• Bay of Bengal vs Arabian Sea: Bay of Bengal generates more and stronger cyclones than the Arabian Sea, due to warmer sea-surface temperatures and less wind shear. Bay of Bengal cyclones typically track northward and affect Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
• National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP): Ministry of Earth Sciences project for building cyclone shelters, communication infrastructure, and early warning systems in coastal districts. NCRMP covers 13 cyclone-prone states and 2 UTs.
• Colour-coded alerts: IMD issues Yellow Watch, Orange Alert, and Red Alert for cyclones, as distinct from the heat alert system. Red Alert means extremely heavy rainfall or cyclone imminent within 12 hours.
• NDRF deployment: NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) is a statutory body under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. It is funded by the central government. All 16 NDRF battalions are drawn from CAPF and armed forces.

Static linkage: IMD's RSMC role, cyclone classification, NDRF, DM Act 2005.

GS area: Governance (Urban Safety, Law)

Arrests were made and political accountability debates intensified on 26 May following the 25 May fire.

• IPC Section 304: Culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Punishment: up to 10 years imprisonment or life imprisonment (if the act is done with knowledge that death is likely), or up to 10 years (if done with knowledge that it may cause death). The Rajkot case was registered under the harsher sub-section.
• Building permissions: The gaming zone reportedly operated without obtaining a NOC from the fire brigade and without proper building plan approval from the Rajkot Municipal Corporation.
• National Building Code violations: Key NBC violations identified: no emergency exits, no fire-suppression systems, combustible materials used for interior décor, and no fire drill training for staff.
• Gujarat Fire Prevention Act: The state has its own fire prevention law requiring periodic fire safety inspections. Enforcement lapses were cited.
• BNS replacement: The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (effective July 1, 2024) carries the equivalent provision of Section 304 under its numbering. Cases filed before July 2024 proceed under IPC.

Static linkage: Disaster management, urban safety regulation, IPC/BNS.

GS area: Polity (Disaster Management, Constitutional Division)

NDRF's deployment in Cyclone Remal illustrates the disaster management architecture.

• Disaster Management Act, 2005: The primary legislation. Created NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority, chaired by PM), SDMAs (State Disaster Management Authorities, chaired by CMs), and NDRF (operational force).
• NDRF structure: 16 battalions, drawn from CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF, SSB, and NSG. Each battalion has 1,149 personnel. HQ: National Disaster Management Authority (New Delhi).
• Constitutional position: Disaster management is on the Concurrent List (Entry 23). States have primary responsibility; the Centre provides support.
• NDRF vs SDRF: SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) is a state-level counterpart. SDRF is funded through State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), which is shared between the Centre and states (75:25 ratio for general states, 90:10 for special category states).
• National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF): A separate fund (distinct from NDRF the organisation) under Section 46 of the DM Act. Financed by grants from the Consolidated Fund of India.

Static linkage: DM Act 2005, NDMA, NDRF, Concurrent List.

GS area: Geography (Physical, Marine)

Cyclone Remal, originating in the Bay of Bengal, focuses attention on this strategic water body.

• Bay of Bengal: A semi-enclosed sea, part of the Indian Ocean. Bounded by India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Bay is connected to the Andaman Sea to the south.
• River inflows: The Bay of Bengal receives the outflow of major rivers: Ganga, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri from India; Irrawaddy from Myanmar; Brahmaputra and Meghna from Bangladesh.
• Salinity: The Bay has lower salinity than the Arabian Sea due to massive freshwater inflows from rivers and high rainfall. This slightly warmer, lower-salinity surface layer contributes to cyclone formation.
• Marine biodiversity: Home to dugongs, olive ridley sea turtles, Irrawaddy dolphins, and the world's largest delta (Sundarbans). The Bay's ecosystem is central to fisheries livelihood for hundreds of millions across India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
• Sagar Island (Gangasagar): Located at the mouth of the Hooghly River in the Bay of Bengal. Famous for the annual Gangasagar Mela (Makar Sankranti) attended by millions of pilgrims. Now a focus as a cyclone landfall point.

Static linkage: Bay of Bengal geography, river systems, marine ecology.

• Lok Sabha Phase 6 results (preliminary): Exit polls from various channels began appearing from the evening of 25 May. ECI rules bar publication of exit polls until the final phase (Phase 7, 1 June) concludes.
• Israel-Gaza: ICJ provisional measures: The International Court of Justice in May 2024 indicated provisional measures requiring Israel to halt its military offensive in Rafah. ICJ provisional measures are legally binding but enforcement remains a political challenge. India has consistently supported a two-state solution and the ICJ's jurisdiction.
• Solar activity: Following the extreme G5 geomagnetic storm (10-11 May), moderate solar activity continued. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center (the global reference for geomagnetic storm data) monitored ongoing solar cycle activity.