Authorities on Tuesday shifted 30,000 people from coastal areas to temporary shelters two days before powerful cyclone Biparjoy's expected landfall near Jakhau port in Gujarat's Kutch district.
An official said several NDRF and SDRF teams are on standby. Simultaneously, Army authorities have jointly planned relief operations with civil administration and National Disaster Response Force.
The Army has kept flood relief columns ready at strategic locations.
In a virtual meeting to take stock of the cyclone preparedness, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asked the Gujarat government to make arrangements for moving people living in sensitive places to safer areas and ensure all necessary services, such as electricity, telecommunication, health and drinking water.
The meeting was attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, two Union ministers, several Gujarat ministers and MPs, MLAs and officials from eight districts that are likely to be affected by the cyclone.
"We have already started evacuating people residing near the coast who are likely to be affected the most during the landfall. So far, various district administrations have shifted nearly 30,000 people to temporary shelters," said state commissioner of relief, Alok Kumar Pandey.
The state government is aiming to evacuate people within 10 km of the coast, he said, adding that so far one fatality related to the cyclone has been recorded.
Ahmedabad IMD director Manorama Mohanty said the cyclone is likely to cross between Mandvi in Kutch and Karachi in Pakistan near Jakhau port with 125-135 kmph wind speed gusting to 150 kmph on the evening of June 15.
A warning has been issued for extremely heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds in coastal parts of the Saurashtra-Kutch region, especially in the districts of Kutch, Porbandar and Devbhumi Dwarka, she said.
"After it makes landfall and weakens, the movement of the cyclone is likely to remain north-eastward and it is expected to move towards extreme south Rajasthan. It will bring heavy to very heavy rain in north Gujarat till June 15-17," Mohanty said.
Fishing activities have been suspended till June 16, ports are shut and ships are anchored as the sea turned very rough and weather became inclement with extremely heavy rainfall and strong winds in the region due to the approaching cyclone.
"The sea will remain very rough to high till Jun 14, increasing to high to phenomenal on June 15," Mohanty said.
Pandey said the government is constantly working to ensure that there is no loss of life due to the weather phenomenon.
He said the rescue operation is being carried out in two phases, with people residing 0 to 5 km from the seashore to be shifted first. Thereafter, people living within a distance of five to 10 km from the coast will be moved to safer places, with priority to be given to children, pregnant women and the elderly.
The government said 17 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 12 of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are on standby in affected districts of Devbhumi Dwarka, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Porbandar, Gir Somnath, Morbi and Valsad.
The Western Railway has so far cancelled 69 trains and decided to short-terminate 32 and short-originate 26 trains as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of passengers as well as train operations.
As the sea turned rough, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) evacuated 50 personnel from an oil rig located 40 km off the Dwarka coast in an overnight operation involving ALH aircraft and the vessel Shoor amid inclement weather conditions due to the cyclone, the maritime agency said on Tuesday.
The Army also rehearsed flood relief columns and kept them ready at strategic locations.
"Army authorities have jointly planned relief operations with civil administration as well as NDRF. The interaction has given all agencies involved in disaster management a platform to share their best practices and gain from each other," stated a defence release.
Resources have also been made available from neighbouring Rajasthan to ensure that casualties are avoided or remain minimum due to gusty winds and heavy rainfall, it said.
Shipping activities at the country's largest public sector port in Kandla were shut following the cyclone warning and around 3,000 people, including workers there, have been shifted to safer places, officials said.
As the state government stepped up relief and rescue operations, CM Patel has appealed to citizens to cooperate with the administration for their own safety and security.
In a virtual message, he said the government has planned rescue, relief and rehabilitation with zero casualty approach and appealed to the citizens to follow the instructions of the administration.
Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya also reviewed the preparatory measures at Bhuj in Kutch.
Apart from him, four Union ministers are fanned out in the districts likely to be impacted by the cyclone to coordinate with the state administration for relief and rescue operations.
As hundreds of people are being evacuated from coastal villages in Kutch district, authorities are facing a challenge as many villagers are reluctant to leave their livestock and belongings behind.
In Ashirwada village, located five km away from the coast in Kutch, people agreed to move out only after police and revenue officers held meetings to convince them.
"We are shifting people to shelters which can withstand the impact of the cyclone. We are taking care of them by providing them food and other basic things," an official told PTI.
People are being evacuated in buses and private vehicles. At least 78 people have been shifted to Jakhau primary school, which is converted into a shelter, from various villages so far.
Residents of Mohadi village, located on the coastline, are also evacuated. They are provided shelter in a cement company.
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