Severe cyclonic storm looms large over Odisha, govt cancels puja holiday of employees

By Prasanna Mohanty

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 9: The Odisha government on Wednesday cancelled puja holidays of its employees in 14 coast districts and ordered deployment of Disaster Rapid Force (ODRAF) in all vulnerable points as Met department forecasted a cyclone in Odisha-Andhra Pradesh coast by Sunday.

“The state government has cancelled puja holidays of employees in coastal districts in view of possible cyclone. If any officials goes on holiday or remains absent office during this period, departmental action will be taken against them,” state revenue and disaster management minister Surya Narayan Patro told reporters after a high level preparedness meeting.

The minister said instructions were given revenue, food supplies, health and other related departments to remain alert to the situation.

Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), a specially raised calamity combating force, has already been deployed at different places.

Reports from Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore, Ganjam, Puri and Cuttack said the ODRAF team and fire personnel conducted mock drills.

The latest bulletin issued by the Met department suggested that a tropical storm brewing over the Andaman Sea would gather speed and destructive power when it crossed the Odisha-Andhra coast on Saturday.

“The wind speed of the system during the landfall will be between  175 to 185 km per hour. Fishermen have been asked not venture into sea during this period,” the bulletin said.

“The depression over the North Andaman Sea which moved northwestward with a speed of 13 km per hour during the past six hours, intensified into a deep depression and lay centred at 5.30 am today over north Andaman Sea, about 1100 km east-southeast of Paradip and 1200 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam,” it said.

All the districts authorities have also been asked to take required steps in villages located by the sea coast.

The 14 coastal districts where maximum alert has been issued are Balasore, Bhadrak, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam and Gajapati.