Tamil Nadu authorities suspended inter-district and intra-district bus services in seven of the state’s districts since Tuesday and partially and fully canceled trains in some districts as severe cyclonic storm Nivar is likely to cross its coastline between Karaikal. and Mamallapuram on Wednesday. The Tamil Nadu government on Monday reviewed the situation and ordered district administrations to be on guard as the depression over the Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm on Tuesday and cross the coast as a severe cyclonic storm a day later.
Tamil Nadu Prime Minister K Palaniswami, during a review meeting, asked his colleagues and cabinet officials to remain fully vigilant and take appropriate precautionary measures before Cyclone Nivar. During the review meeting, several instructions were issued asking officials from various departments to be ready with the necessary equipment, excavators, trucks and other machinery starting Monday in the districts of Pudukottai, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tanjavur, Tiruvarur, Villupuram and Chengalpattu.
Read also | Heavy rains, hurricane-force winds: Nivar will cross the Tamil Nadu coast tomorrow
Officials were also ordered to ensure the evacuation of people in vulnerable areas, facilities, including the provision of food in relief camps, protection of boats and fishermen’s nets, conducting fogging operations , the monitoring of water levels in the Great Lakes and the provision of mobile communication units. Six teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are to be stationed in Cuddalore and two in Chennai with equipment.
The suspension of inter-district and intra-district bus services in the districts of Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tanjavur, Tiruvarur, Villupuram, Chengalpattu and Pudukottai was announced from 1 p.m. Tuesday until further orders, even as the prime minister asked people to avoid traveling in your own vehicles except essential requirements. People should stock up on torches, candles and matchboxes, and also avoid venturing during gusty winds, Palaniswami added.
Read also | Cyclone Nivar is heading towards the south coast: list of major cyclones in India since 2019
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister RB Udayakumar and Electricity Minister P Thangamani expressed the readiness of their ministries ahead of Cyclone Nivar. Udayakumar told reporters that all arrangements are in place to deal with the cyclone and special attention will be paid to following the rules of social distancing in relief shelters due to the coronavirus pandemic. He added that those who live in low-lying areas must immediately move to relief camps. Thangamani said that as a precautionary measure, the power supply will be cut off when the storm crosses the coast on Wednesday.
The meteorological office has said that the depression in the southwest and adjacent to the southeast of the Bay of Bengal has moved from west to northwest to the west and is centered about 520 km southeast of Puducherry and 560 km southeast of Chennai. M Mohapatra, director general of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), said on Monday that Nivar is very likely to become a cyclonic storm over the next 24 hours. The depression is very likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm over the next 24 hours, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a bulletin on Monday.
“It is very likely to move to the northwest and cross the shores of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry between Karaikal and Mamallapuram around November 25 in the afternoon as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100-110 km / h with gusts 120 km / h, “he said.
Widespread showers and thunderstorms were “very likely” over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal from Tuesday through Thursday, IMD warned. Extremely heavy isolated rains are very likely over Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Karaikal, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Ariyalur and Perambalur, Kallakurichi, Puducherry, Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Chengalpattu between Wednesday and Thursday. A high alert has been issued in Nagapattinam and fishermen have been asked not to go out to sea until Thursday.
(With contributions from the agency)
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