Cyclone Ockhi: Amit Shah cancels public meetings owing to bad weather

BJP national president Amit Shah. (Source: Express photo Javed Raja)

Over 1000 people have been evacuated from Olpad taluka in Surat in preparation for Cyclone Ockhi, which is expected to make landfall by Tuesday midnight. High-speed winds accompanied by rains led to a drop in temperature in Surat, Rajkot and Ahmedabad.

BJP national president Amit Shah cancelled his public meetings in Rajula, Mahuva and Shihor in Bhavnagar district, owing to the cyclonic storm in this coastal district.

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh also called off his visit to Surat because of the rough weather conditions.

Pankaj Kumar Principal Secretary, Revenue Dept said, “The cyclone will make landfall at midnight at Surat. There is deep depression building but the good news is that the intensity is reducing as it is heading to Surat.

“We have deployed 2 teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Surat and one each in Navsari, Valsad, Bhavnagar and Amreli. We are expecting moderate to heavy rainfall in various parts of the state. The rains will start by late evening and continue tomorrow. We request people not to venture out in the high winds that should start by late evening today. We are keeping a watch on the cyclone and decisions around schools and colleges closing will be taken by various district collectors by evening depending on how things shape up.”

Kumar also mentioned that his team will be constantly be pushing information on Twitter and Facebook.