Guwahati: A massive storm in lower Assam has left at least 12 people injured, coinciding with an IMD warning of heavy rainfall for Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya ahead of an early onset of the southwest monsoon.The IMD said thunderstorms accompanied by squally and gusty winds reaching speeds of 50-80 kmph lashed several parts of Assam in the past 24 hours.At Chapar and in neighbouring areas of Dhubri district, the storm since Sunday night caused widespread damage to houses and property. “Around 12 to 15 people were injured in the storm. Those seriously wounded have been hospitalised in Bongaigaon,” said Bilasipara MLA Jibesh Roy, who visited a local hospital in Chapar to check on the injured and offered preliminary financial assistance.At Chapar, an uprooted tree fell on a passenger bus travelling along NH-17 on Sunday night, but passengers escaped unhurt. The incident led to a massive traffic jam. In neighbouring Kokrajhar district, electricity supply was severely disrupted as numerous trees fell on power lines. Many kutcha houses were damaged, and large trees were uprooted in residential areas.Officials said about 40 villages in Kokrajhar district were severely affected, particularly in Kokrajhar town and Dotma circle. SDRF, fire and emergency services, and the district administration cleared several blocked roads, while the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) worked to restore power. “In some parts of Kokrajhar, it may take at least two days to restore electricity,” an official said.The monsoon is expected to reach Kerala on May 26, earlier than its usual June 1 onset, indicating a likely advance over Assam and the northeast.The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) reported storm damage in parts of Bongaigaon, South Salmara and Majuli districts on Monday, including infrastructure damage to four schools, 11 power department poles and three transformers.According to IMD, heavy to very heavy rainfall (11-20 cm) was recorded at isolated places in Meghalaya, while heavy rainfall (7-11 cm) occurred at isolated locations in Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura during the 24 hours (till 8:30 am on Monday).
