The Puducherry and Cuddalore district administrations are gearing up to deal with any eventuality arising out of Cyclone Nivar, which is expected to make landfall on Wednesday.
Nine teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Puducherry, Cuddalore, Chidambaram, Parangipettai and Karaikal, to carry out relief and rescue operations.
“As per the IMD feedback we received on Tuesday morning, the cyclone is expected to make landfall here by Wednesday afternoon. We are geared up to deal with any eventuality,” Puducherry Minister for Revenue M.O.H.F Shahjahan told presspersons during a briefing at the Chief Secretariat.
The Puducherry government has declared Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in Puducherry and Karaikal regions till November 26, so that people will not step out of their homes. Classes for schools will be suspended till further notice. Commercial establishments have been asked to shut from Tuesday night.
State and district-level emergency operation centres and control rooms in Puducherry have been activated to ensure timely dissemination of cyclone-related information to the general public, the police and other government departments.
As many as 196 relief centres have been kept ready in Puducherry for those evacuated from coastal and low-lying areas, a senior official told The Hindu.
Sixteen coastal villages in Puducherry have been put on high alert and several families residing close to the sea have been advised to move out. The emergency control room (1070) has been activated.
Advisories have been issued to the Health Department to deploy teams to carry out COVID-19 screenings of those who are moving to the temporary relief camps.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Minister for Industries M.C. Sampath, along with Principal Secretary to T.N. Gagandeep Singh Bedi, on Tuesday held a detailed review meeting in Cuddalore.
The administration has identified 278 vulnerable areas in the district. Of the identified areas, 38 are “extremely” vulnerable and the administration will be keeping a close eye on these places, the Minister said. “We have taken measures on a war footing to deal with any emergency situations. Efforts are on to shift people from vulnerable areas,” the Minister said. The administration has activated 28 cyclone centres, 14 multipurpose shelters and 19 temporary camps to accommodate rain-affected people, he said.
Holiday declared
Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi has declared a holiday for all government offices and educational institutions in Puducherry and Karaikal regions on Wednesday. December 12 (Saturday) will be a working day. This is not applicable to officials involved in COVID duties.