All Central agencies and east-coast states are on high alert on the likely impact of Cyclone Fani , which may turn severe by Tuesday, and possibly hit Odisha, while leaving out Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The National Crisis Management Committee met under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha and took stock of the situation, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to be monitoring the developments
According to the IMD, the cyclonic storm is located 880 km south-east of Chennai, and is expected to intensify into “a very severe cyclonic storm” by Tuesday. The storm will continue to move northwest till 1 May and thereafter move north-eastwards gradually. The government is closely watching its impact on the states on the Eastern Coast.
Chief Secretaries and Principal Secretaries of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal joined the NCMC meet through video-conference. Senior officers from the Central Ministries and agencies attended the meeting.
The officers confirmed full preparedness to deal with any emerging situation arising out of the cyclonic storm. The state governments have adequately warned fishermen not to venture out to sea and highlighted that there is a seasonal ban on fishing in sea up to 14 June due to the breeding season. State governments were advised to effectively enforce this ban, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said.
The MHA has assured the state governments that the first instalment of the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF), as per their request, will be released in advance.
The National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and Indian Coast Guard have been put on high alert and are coordinating with state governments. They have prepositioned themselves adequately. Regular warnings have been issued since 25 April to fishermen not to venture into the sea and asking those at sea to return to coast.
The IMD is issuing three-hourly bulletins with latest forecast to all the concerned states, while the MHA is in touch with state governments and the Central agencies concerned. Source The Statesman
