Cyclone Amphan wreaks havoc on IIM Calcutta campus – Hindustan Times

Cyclone Amphan as it slammed West Bengal last Wednesday also wreaked havoc on the campus of premier business school, IIM Calcutta, which saw several trees uprooted, electricity and telephone lines brought down and the boundary wall caving in.

According to the Indian Institute of Management’s director Anju Seth, no one was injured but classes being conducted online because of the coronavirus pandemic stand disrupted.

“When cyclone AMPHAN made landfall on 20 May 2020 in West Bengal, it lashed the IIM Calcutta campus with ferocious wind and rain causing considerable damage to infrastructure. Many trees were uprooted in the gale blocking roads, puncturing water supply pipes and bringing down electricity and telephone lines,” Seth said in a statement.

Falling trees have also severely damaged the campus boundary wall in a number of places as well as a few buildings.

The gale-force winds caused windows and doors in some buildings to blow out and panels of the solar water heating system installed on rooftops to blow away, she added.

“Fortunately, no-one was injured during the cyclone. Our campus is known for its scenic lakes, and our water management systems worked well to ensure that none of the lakes overflowed so that we had no flooding in spite of the torrential rain. Unlike many parts of Kolkata, our advance planning ensured we had no electricity outage,” the IIM director said.

She said numerous measures were undertaken to restore many essential services to the campus.

“We have every expectation that the “Joka Spirit” that the Institute prides itself upon will inspire all stakeholders to participate in rebuilding this great Institute to showcase its pristine and scenic glory,” she said.

Seth added that most of IIM, Calcutta’s students are away from campus after they secured jobs during the placement season or are doing summer internships after completing their first year.

“Our MBA admissions process is continuing with offers being made to prospective entering students but with delays due to telecom network outages in Kolkata. Online classes for our Executive MBA and Visionary Leadership in Manufacturing have also been disrupted due to these outages, and will resume as soon as connectivity is restored,” she said.

At least 85 people were killed in the state and lakhs rendered homeless as Cyclone Amphan cut a path of destruction through half-a-dozen districts of the state last week, flattening houses, uprooting thousands of trees and swamping low-lying areas.