Biparjoy likely to make landfall near jakhau, 3 dead

RAJKOT: Lakhs of people in coastal Saurashtra and Kutch were staring a grim fortnight ahead as Cyclone Biporjoy barrelled towards Gujarat, packing devastating winds and heavy downpours, with the expected landfall near fishing port Jakhau on June 15.
Three people including two children died as the entire region was already in the grip of cyclonic effects with fierce winds uprooting trees. Two cousins - a four-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl - died after a wall collapsed on them in Bhuj town while a woman named Harsha Bavaliya who was riding pillion with her husband died on the spot after a huge tree crashed on their scooter due to strong winds in Jasdan taluka of Rajkot.
A husband-wife duo was seriously wounded when a tree crashed on their bike on the Una-Veraval portion of the coastal highway.
The Arabian Sea was extremely turbulent with gigantic waves crashing ashore in Amreli, Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Kutch, Porbandar, Gir-Somnath and Jamnagar districts. A wall of Indureshwar Mahadev temple in Porbandar collapsed under constant slamming of waves in Porbandar while several parts of Veraval town were under knee-deep waters due to the downpours.
Several houses along the coast were damaged in the Gir-Somnath district after waves broke through the protection wall in Saiyed Rajpara village close to Una. Some 100 people living in these houses were shifted to safer places.
As the cyclonic effect began on Sunday, some five cars were charred when a high-tension wire fell on them in Sarangpur village of Botad district. The incident came to light on Monday. Heavy rainfall was reported from Khambha, Jafrabad, Rajula and Savarkundla talukas of Amreli while three boats overturned due to gale in Mul Dwarka near Kodinar.
Over 12,000 people have been identified for evacuation in Kutch and Dwarka, the two districts that are expected to bear the maximum brunt of the cyclone. The process was expected to be completed by Tuesday night.
Ashok Sharma, collector, Devbhumi Dwarka, said, "Around 4,000 people will be evacuated by Tuesday morning. Two teams each of SDRF and NDRF have been deployed in the district while relief and rescue teams have been deputed in all villages close to the shore.
Throughout Monday, the Kutch administration made announcements using loudspeakers requesting people to shift to safer places. The Deendayal Port Authority (DPA) at Kandla arranged for buses for nearly 1,000 people to shift to their relatives' houses in various talukas.
About 5,000 people were being shifted to shelter homes having facilities for drinking water, food and medicines.Bhagirathsinh Jhala, mamlatdar, Gandhidham said "We are evacuating fishermen and salt pan workers living Mithi Rohar, Nani Chirai, Tuna, Vandi, Bharapar, Kidana and Kandla port areas." In Rajkot, the municipal corporation has asked all builders to suspend construction work for two days. RMC has also started a control room and identified people living in low-lying areas who may be required to be shifted.