Bhubaneswar, May 22: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will on Saturday evening review the cyclone preparedness with Chief Secretary, Special Relief Commissioner, DGP, Secretaries of concerned departments and Collectors of coastal districts.
The meeting will take place at 5 PM.
Chief Secretary Suresh Kumar Mohapatra, Additional Chief Secretary and Special Relief Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jena and other senior officers will remain present in the meeting.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Mohapatra already held a meeting which was attended by Secretaries of various other departments and Collectors of 14 coastal districts.
The Chief Secretary focused on preparatory measures for the evacuation of people, cyclone shelter management, and post-cyclone restoration are in full swing.
According to SRC Jena, five teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) from the third battalion at Mundali in Cuttack which were deputed to Gujarat have been brought back to Cuttack. The Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and fire services personnel have also been kept ready for action in the areas likely to be hit by the cyclone ‘Yaas.’
Notably, the State Government has decided to involve the panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) to ensure smooth evacuation, wherever and whenever necessary.
The SRC said that the State Government was in touch with the Indian Coast Guard personnel patrolling in the deep sea to ensure that no fishing boat remained in the sea till Saturday evening.
As the electricity infrastructure is likely to bear the brunt of high wind speed, the Government has also reviewed the preparedness of the Energy Department and power distribution companies for mobilisation of manpower, materials and required equipment for quick restoration of supply.
According to the local Bhubaneswar centre of India Meteorological Centre (IMD), a low pressure area has formed over eastcentral Bay of Bengal today morning. It will intensify into a cyclonic storm by 24th May and intensify further into Very Severe Cyclonic Storm, and move north-northwestwards and cross West Bengal and adjoining north Odisha & Bangladesh coasts around 26th evening.
