Cyclone Dana: Ex-CM Naveen Patnaik urges public to cooperate with govt

Leader of the Opposition in Odisha Assembly, Naveen Patnaik, on Wednesday urged people not to be scared of Cyclone Dana' but to take necessary precautions for safety.

The Indian Meterological Department (IMD) said Cyclone Dana' is likely to make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra port early Friday.

Patnaik emphasised that awareness and caution are key to protecting residents from the impending storm. He also called on people to cooperate with the administration in handling the cyclone's impact.

"Odisha has faced numerous cyclones in the past and our people have bravely weathered them. Let's take every precaution to stay safe this time too. Caring for ourselves and our loved ones is essential," Patnaik said.

 

Having come to power after the devastating super cyclone in 1999, which resulted in over 10,000 fatalities, Patnaik has consistently aimed for "zero casualties" during disasters.

Odisha's five time former chief minister also urged all the elected peoples representatives is to stand with people in this time of crisis.

"Help people. I strongly believe, together we can weather the storm like never before," Patnaik said.

Earlier, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi instructed all MLAs to visit their respective assembly segments and assist with rescue and relief efforts.

Majhi has assigned nine ministers to districts expected to be heavily impacted by Cyclone 'Dana'.

While deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo has been assigned the responsibility of Kendrapara district where Cyclone 'Dana' is likely to make landfall early on Friday, another deputy CM Pravati Parida will monitor cyclone management in Puri district.

Other ministers who have been deputed in different districts are Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Jena (Ganjam), Food and Civil Supplies Minister Krushna Chandra Patra (Keonjhar), Industries Minister Sampad Chandra Swain (Jagatsinghapur), Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Nayak (Balasore), Sports Minister Suraj Suryabanshi (Bhadrak) and Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra (?Mayurbhanj).

This apart, the government has deputed six senior IAS officers K Sudarshan Chakravarthy, Trilochan Majhi, Balwant Singh, Vineet Bhardwaj, Yamini Sarangi and Samarth Verma to supervise cyclone management in the districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Puri, Mayurbhanj, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapada districts respectively.

Alongside, The Eastern Railway will not operate any local train from Sealdah station from 8 pm on Thursday till 10 am on Friday in view of the cyclonic storm 'Dana', an official said.

The step was taken as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of train passengers in the Sealdah division that serves six districts of West Bengal - North 24 Praganas, South 24 Praganas, Nadia, Murshidabad, Kolkata and Howrah.

The storm which is likely to make landfall between Bhitarkanika National Park and Dhamra port in Odisha early Friday with wind speeds of up to 120 kmph, will bring heavy rain in several south Bengal districts on October 24 and 25, the Met office said.

"From 8 pm onwards on October 24, no local train will start from Sealdah station to ensure that no train is on the tracks during the time when the cyclone is apprehended to make landfall," the ER official said.

He said that local train services in the Sealdah division will remain suspended till 10 am on October 25, he said.

The official said that the last train from Hasnabad and Namkhana stations, which are close to the coastal areas in North and South 24 Parganas districts respectively, will depart towards Sealdah by 7 pm on October 24.

South Eastern Railway on Tuesday announced that more than 150 express and passenger trains running through its jurisdiction were cancelled in view of the cyclone.

The East Coast Railways on Tuesday also cancelled as many as 198 trains passing through and originating from Odisha.