Odisha govt cancels puja holidays on cyclone forecast

Met department asks ports to hoist Storm Warning Signals

The state government is on its toes with the forecast of a cyclonic storm likely to hit the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh coast on October 12 by the met department.

As a preparatory measure, the state government has cancelled the puja holidays of the state employees at the state and district level in 14 districts whose services are required to meet the exigencies.

All the line departments have been directed to open control rooms and keep vigil on the developing situation, said Revenue and Disaster Management minister S N Patro.

Disaster response agencies, the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been put on alert and they will start their movements from Thursday, he added.

In 1999, Odisha was hit with a deadly tropical cyclone that claimed over ten thousand lives.

The state government on Tuesday had issued a cyclone warning and alerted collectors of 14 coastal districts to remain prepared to meet any eventuality. Officials have been asked to start mock drills at cyclone shelters.

According to the latest forecast, the deep depression over north Andaman Sea has moved west-north-westwards and crossed Andaman Islands near Mayabandar between 1230 hours and 1330 hours. It lay centred over east central Bay of Bengal, about 950km southeast of Paradip, at 1430 hours today.

The met office said, the system would intensify into a cyclonic storm during next 12 hours and continue to move west-north-westwards for some time and then north-westwards and cross north Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coast between Kalingapatnam and Paradip by night of October 12 as very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 175-185 kmph.

The state government has asked the fishermen who are in the deep sea to return to the coast immediately and not to venture into the sea anymore.

The local met department has warned that sea will be rough to very rough after 12 hours and advised Paradip and Gopalpur ports  to hoist the  Distant Cautionary Signal Number One (DC-I).

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today held discussions with the district collectors of the 14 vulnerable districts on the preparedness to meet the eventuality.