Cyclone Biparjoy: Heavy rains in Gujarat; 50,000 people evacuated, trains affected

New Delhi: As the powerful cyclone ‘Biparjoy’ headed towards the Gujarat coast, authorities evacuated 50,000 people from vulnerable areas as part of a massive operation and deployed disaster management personnel for relief and rescue measures in the state, which is bracing for another storm. was going to be most affected by This in just two years, officials said on Wednesday. The cyclone, which is expected to make landfall near Jakhau port in Kutch district on Thursday evening, lashed parts of the Saurashtra-Kutch region with gusty winds as it headed towards the Gujarat coast.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel took stock of the situation with senior officials, while at the central level, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh separately reviewed preparedness to deal with the impact of the cyclone. Nine taluks of Devbhoomi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Porbandar and Rajkot districts received more than 50 mm of rain in the 24 hours ending Wednesday morning.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that Biparjoy was set to change course on Wednesday and move north-eastwards towards Kutch and Saurashtra, but it was still a very cloudy sky with a wind speed of 125-135 kmph. It will make landfall as a severe cyclonic storm. 145 kmph from morning to evening on Thursday. The Gujarat government has conducted a massive exercise to evacuate people living in villages within 10 km radius of the coast, with a special focus on Kutch, which is likely to be most affected by the cyclone, and shift them to temporary shelters. Is done.

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Officials said the evacuation is underway and is expected to be completed by Wednesday evening. “The cyclone is currently about 290 km from Kutch. As a precautionary measure, we have already shifted around 50,000 people living in the coastal areas to temporary shelters. The evacuation process is still on and the remaining 5,000 people Will be shifted by today evening to safer places” said state relief commissioner Alok Kumar Pandey.

Pandey told reporters in Gandhinagar that out of 50,000 people, around 18,000 were shifted to shelters in Kutch district, while others were evacuated from Junagadh, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Morbi and Rajkot. He said that 18 teams of NDRF (National Disaster Response Force), 12 teams of SDRF (State Disaster Response Force), 115 teams of State Road and Building Department and 397 teams of State Electricity Department have been deployed in various coastal districts.

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“Officials from the power and road and building departments have also reached designated locations to restore connectivity and power supply. We have also deployed teams carrying HAM radio sets and satellite phones to the coastal area for better communication,” Pandey said. Have done.”