The commencement of World War II in 1939 boosted meteorological operations, particularly those required for aviation services, and necessitated the closer presence of weather experts for aviation in Delhi.
Had the Second World War not broken out in 1939, Pune would probably have continued to be the headquarters of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for a longer period. In fact, it was only about a decade before the war – on April 1, 1928 – that Pune became the IMD’s headquarters.
As many as 74 meteorological observatories had been operational in British India, including some of the world’s oldest ones located in the then cities of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.
As meteorology developed in the country, the secretary of the state of India, after consulting several meteorologists in England , decided to appoint an Imperial Reporter tasked with supervising meteorological activities across India.
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