The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has announced that operations of Kolkata airport will be suspended from 6 pm on Saturday to 6 am on Sunday due to Cyclone Bulbul. The airport is the busiest one in eastern India.

As per reports, heavy to extremely heavy rainfall accompanied bywinds reaching up to 120 kmph and tidal waves up to one to one to two metersare expected while the cyclone is expected to make a landfall at the WestBengal coast at around 8 pm to 10 pm on Saturday.

"Due to very severe cyclone 'Bulbul', operations at Kolkata airport are being suspended from 1800 hours on November 9 up to 0600 hours on November 10," an MHA official said.

The cyclone at 2.30 pm lay about 90 km south-southeast of Digha,85 km south of Sagar Islands, and 185 km Southeast of Kolkata.

The IMD office in Kolkata said the wind speed in the state capital is likely to be around 50 kmph, gusting to a maximum of 70 kmph. The cyclone is likely to make landfall after 6 pm around the Sagar Island of the Sunderbans delta, with a wind speed of around 120 kmph gusting to 135 kmph.

Meanwhile, authorities in Bangladesh ordered to evacuate around18 lakh people from the low-lying coastal villages and islands as the countrybraced for a 'very severe' cyclonic storm that is set to hit the country thisevening.

According to officials of disaster management authority,thousands of people have already been moved to safe shelters as the evacuationprocess was underway particularly in 10 southwestern coastal districts, whichare likely to face the maximum brunt of Cyclone Bulbul.

According to reports, 3 lakh people have been evacuated till nowand that the authorities are planning to move another 18 lakh people to cycloneshelters by the evening in the vulnerable regions.

Disaster Ministry Secretary Shah Kamal said that army troopswere called in to supplement the cyclone preparedness.

The latest met office bulletin said that Bulbul was 280kilometers southwest of Bangladesh's southwestern Mongla Port and 315 kmsouthwest of Payra Port while it was moving in a north/northeastern direction.