The Odisha government on Tuesday said that Cyclone Kyant, formed over the Bay of Bengal, will not touch Odisha though it is expected to bring heavy rains in the coastal areas.
"The cyclone which was heading towards Myanmar has re-curved and is moving towards south-west. It is not touching Odisha. It is likely to touch Andhra Pradesh. But, rains will occur in coastal belt of the state as an impact of the passing cyclone," said Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra.
He said 14 district collectors have been advised to be alert and ensure that harvested crops are well stored to minimise the loss.
The government has cancelled the leave of officials in the wake of the cyclone and asked them to remain alert, Mohapatra added.
Bhubaneswar meteorological centre director Sarat Chandra Sahu said though there would be no impact of the cyclone on Odisha, there will be rains in the coastal belt on October 27-28.
The cyclonic storm on Tuesday lay centered at about 710 km east-southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha. The storm is expected to move initially west-northwestwards, and then west to west-southwestwards towards west-central Bay of Bengal during next 72 hours, said an IMD bulletin.
Under the impact of the storm, surface winds from northern direction with speeds reaching 45 to 50 kmph with gusts at 55 kmph would prevail along and off the Odisha coast, said the bulletin.
The Distant Cautionary Signal Number One (DC-I) for the cyclone had been replaced by Distant Warning Signal Number Two (DW-II) at all ports in Odisha.
The Met department advised fishermen not to venture into sea as the condition would be rough.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik reviewed the cyclone situation and preparedness to deal with the storm on Tuesday in a meeting. He also interacted in a video conference with the 14 coastal district collectors during the meeting.
Patnaik directed the officials to be ready with their contingency plan for the rescue and relief operation during the cyclone period.
He said that a 24x7 control room should be set up to monitor the situation.
--IANS
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