34 Assam pilgrims leave Puri ahead of Cyclone Fani

Guwahati: At least 34 of the 60-odd pilgrims from Assam moved out of Puri on Thursday with the Odisha government evacuating people from coastal areas to safer places as cyclonic storm Fani moved closer to the eastern coast. Feni is likely to make landfall on May 3.
All the 60-odd pilgrims were sheltered at the Assam Yatri Niwas in Puri. They were on a pilgrimage to the Jagannath temple in Puri.
“We moved out of the pilgrim shelter after special trains were arranged to Howrah. We were altogether 34 persons from Baksa and Kamrup districts who reached Puri on April 30. As we were warned of the cyclonic storm, we did not take the risk of staying back. So, we boarded the special train,” Sachin Baishya of Angardhuwa village in Baksa district told over the phone.
Three special trains were arranged by the East Coast Railway to evacuate tourists from Puri to Howrah.
Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal has directed chief secretary Alok Kumar to take steps for evacuating tourists in view of ‘Fani’. Sonowal has asked Kumar to talk to NFR authorities for arranging special train services for bringing the tourists back to Assam from the costal state. Baishya said many pilgrims have run out of money.
“Most of the pilgrims are from villages and came to Puri with a limited budget for up to May 4. But now that we have to travel to Howrah and then again board the train to Guwahati, our expenses have gone up ,” Baishya said.
The Howrah Gurudwara committee has made arrangement to provide food and shelter to the pilgrims, while the Assam Bhawan in Kolkata has also decided to provide vehicles once the pilgrims reaches Howrah.
Shiv Shankar Mahapatra, owner of the Assam Yatri Niwas, said about 25 pilgrims are still at the shelter. “Those who could avail the train tickets to Howrah have left. Those who are still at our shelter, we have made all the arrangements for their food and safety. They can stay at our shelter till the danger is over,” said Mahapatra.