Cyclone Tauktae snaps power of 1.8 mn consumers in 2 Maharashtra districts

Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg are the two districts

Cyclonic storm 'Tauktae', which hit the Gujarat coast in Saurashtra region between Diu and Una on Monday night after passing close to the Konkan coast in Maharashtra, disrupted the power supply of 18.43 lakh consumers in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts, an official release said on Tuesday.

Supply of 52 per cent of these consumers from 3,665 villages in these two districts has been restored while efforts are on on a war footing to restore electricity in the rest of the areas, it said.

Maharashtra Energy Minister Nitin Raut said 13,172 staffers are working tirelessly to restore the supply of the remaining consumers, the statement said.

A total of 13,389 citizens from Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Raigad, Thane and Palghar districts were shifted to safer places, it said.

In Raigad district, 8,383 people were evacuated to safer places, as per the Maharashtra disaster management department.

Ratnagiri and Palghar districts saw the shifting of 4,563 and 200 people, respectively. In Sindhudurg and Thane, 190 and 53 persons were shifted, respectively.

The landfall process of the eye of the extremely severe cyclonic storm Tauktae, which hit the Gujarat coast in Saurashtra region between Diu and Una, ended around midnight, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said.

The cyclonic storm lashed Mumbai and other districts in the Konkan region on Monday with heavy rains and high-speed winds.