Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan on Saturday reviewed the preparedness for an impending cyclone in the Bay of Bengal and said the aim should be to ensure zero loss of lives and minimise damage to property and infrastructure. Fishermen have been advised not to venture out in the sea and more than 900 ships have been shepherded to the shore.
While National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been kept on alert and will be mobilised at short notice, rescue-and-relief teams of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Indian Coast Guard, along with their ships and aircraft, have been kept in readiness.
“Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the southwest and the adjoining central Bay of Bengal along and off the Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry and Odisha coast from October 26 to 29. Those out at sea have been advised to return to the coast immediately,” according to an official release.
At a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), which was chaired by Somanathan, the IMD briefed about the current status of the depression, the release said. “The cyclone had moved nearly westwards with a speed of 7 kmph and lays centred at 950 km east-southeast of Chennai (Tamil Nadu), 960 km southeast of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 970 km southeast of Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh) and 1,030 km south-southeast of Gopalpur (Odisha) as of 11.30 am on Saturday,” it said.
“It is likely to move nearly west-northwestwards, intensify into a deep depression by Sunday and into a cyclonic storm over the southwest and the adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal by Monday morning. Thereafter, it is likely to move northwestwards, then north-northwestwards and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday morning,” the release said.
