- By 11:00 am, over 3 lakh people evacuated
- 100 per cent evacuation within a few hours
- A total of 3,62,000 people to be evacuated
- 2,338 pregnant women shifted to health centres
- Cooked food for people in cyclone shelters
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today discussed the progress of cyclone preparedness with District Collectors of Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balswar, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Cuttack, Khurda and Jajpur at Lok Seva Bhawan.
After the review, the Chief Minister told the media that 1,653 villages, 9 towns and 26 wards of 38 blocks of 11 districts are likely to be affected by this cyclone. A total of 3,62,000 people are targeted to be relocated from slums and vulnerable areas.
The Chief Minister said that more than 3 lakh people have been safely shifted to the cyclone shelters by 11 am today. He said that 100 per cent evacuation is expected to be achieved in a few hours. He said that 2,338 pregnant women have been safely shifted to hospitals and maternity homes from the areas likely to be affected by the severe cyclone.
On Wednesday evening at the Special Relief Commissioner’s office, the Chief Minister directed the District Magistrates to speed up the evacuation process during the review of cyclone preparedness.
At present, a total of 7285 shelters including 842 permanent shelters and 6443 temporary shelters are operational in all these districts.
The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji is also monitoring the cyclone situation in Odisha. The Chief Minister said that he has asked to provide all necessary help and cooperation to deal with the cyclone.
The Chief Minister said that experienced senior IAS officers have been sent to 11 districts with potential threats. They are speeding up the evacuation process up to the panchayat and village level. 9 ministers of the state cabinet are also present in the affected districts and are monitoring the work and providing information to the government.
The Chief Minister has ordered to provide regular food to the people in the cyclone shelter. He also advised the District Collectors to deploy the police to keep the people safe.
In discussion with the District Collectors today, the Chief Minister directed to focus on ‘100% evacuation’, ‘zero casualty’, uninterrupted power supply in hospitals, adequate supply of kerosene, petrol, and diesel in the affected areas, provision of cooked food to the shelters and keeping the toilets clean. He asked the District Collectors to immediately repair the electricity poles and transformers damaged by the cyclone and to have additional teams to restore the power supply system.
The Chief Minister said that 19 NDRF, 51 ODRAF, and 220 fire brigade teams have been deployed for rescue and relief work in these districts. Along with this, 157 platoons of police forces are also engaged. 92 medical teams and 58 veterinary teams are deployed to provide health care to people and domestic animals in the affected areas. The Chief Minister asked the District Collectors to advise people to keep their pets loose without tying them up. He asked to provide enough fodder for domestic animals.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari was present in the review meeting. Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Development Commissioner Anu Garg, Special Relief Commissioner Deo Ranjan Kumar Singh, ACS to CM Nikunja Bihari Dhal, DGP YB Khurania and Principal Secretaries of various departments were present.
The District Collectors of the cyclone-prone districts informed the Chief Minister about the progress of preparations through virtual communication.
