Cyclone Biparjoy is likely to make landfall today evening
New Delhi:
Some 74,000 people have been shifted to shelters from Gujarat’s coastal region ahead of cyclone Biparjoy’s expected landfall in Kutch district this evening. Part of the Saurashtra-Kutch region received heavy rain yesterday.
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The “very severe cyclonic storm” is likely to carry a maximum wind speed of up to 130 kmph, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
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The IMD said the intensity of rain will increase as cyclone Biparjoy approaches the Gujarat coast, with some areas in Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka and Jamnagar likely to see extremely heavy rain.
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Gujarat Commissioner of Relief Alok Kumar Pandey said 15 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), 12 of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), 115 teams of state road and building department, and 397 of the state electricity department have been deployed in different coastal districts.
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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at a meeting of senior bank officials and insurance firms told them to ensure their employees get adequate care, food and medicine, and claims originating from loss of life, fisheries, livestock, crops, boats and property should be settled expeditiously.
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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted he spoked to all the three service chiefs and reviewed the preparedness of the armed forces for the landfall of cyclone Biparjoy. “The armed forces are ready to provide every possible assistance to civil authorities in tackling any situation or contingency due to the cyclone,” Mr Singh tweeted.
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Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel was briefed about the evacuation measures across 164 coastal villages, his office said in a statement. Mr Patel spoke to village heads and promised all support.
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Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also separately reviewed the preparedness measures in Kutch. He went to Bhuj Air Force station to see the work done by the Garuda Emergency Response Team of the Indian Air Force.
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Cyclone Biparjoy is likely to move northeastwards and cross Saurashtra and Kutch, and adjoining Pakistan coasts between Gujarat’s Mandvi and Pakistan’s Karachi near Jakhau Port by today evening, the IMD said.
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A few places in Porbandar, Rajkot, Morbi, Junagadh and the remaining districts of Saurashtra and north Gujarat regions are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall today.
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A total of 33 teams have been earmarked by the NDRF to undertake relief and rescue operations in Gujarat and Maharashtra ahead of the expected landfall of cyclone.
With inputs from PTI
