New Delhi, Dec 3 Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Friday chaired the second meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee to review the preparedness of states and Central Ministries and agencies to deal with the cyclonic storm 'Jawad'.
In the meeting, Gauba emphasised that all protocols must be followed, so that there is no scope for loss of lives and damage to property is minimised.
He also directed that all fishermen and vessels which are out at sea, must be accounted for by the states concerned, and required assistance would be provided by Coast Guard and other Central agencies in this regard.
The Cabinet Secretary also advised that essential services may be restored in the shortest possible time with minimum disruption, for which advance action should be taken.
"Public messaging may be carried out to ensure that people in the path of the cyclone are provided with suitable instructions and guidance during the period whereas the concerned states were also advised to ensure uninterrupted functioning of Covid hospitals," he directed the officials.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed that the cyclone is expected to reach the north Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coast by December 4 morning, and thereafter, it will recurve and move towards the West Bengal coast. The cyclone would bring with it heavy to very heavy rainfall. Wind speeds ranging up to 90-100 kmph accompanied by tidal waves are expected, the IMD said.
Chief Secretaries and senior officers of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Andaman & Nicobar Islands apprised the NCMC of preparatory measures taken by them.
They also informed that all efforts are underway to ensure the safe return of fishermen from the sea, cyclone shelters have been readied, and evacuation of people from low-lying areas is being carried out.
All actions have been taken to stock food grains, drinking water, and other essential supplies while the teams for maintenance and restoration of power, roads, water supply, and other essential services have also been positioned, the officials of the states concerned told the NCMC.
The Home Ministry officials said that the National Disaster Response Force (NDEF) has deployed an adequate number of teams in the states that would be affected and additional teams are on standby.
Rescue and relief teams of the Army and Navy along with ships and aircraft are ready for deployment as required, the officials added.
Secretaries and senior officers from Ministries of Home Affairs, Civil Aviation, Ports, Railways, Shipping and Waterways, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Power and Fisheries along with those from the NDRF, the IMD, and NDMA also attended the meeting.
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