Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi assessed the state’s readiness for the potential impact of cyclone Montha, which has already disrupted normal life in 15 districts across the coastal and southern regions. He announced that over 2,000 cyclone shelters have been established to accommodate those affected, with a government goal of achieving ‘Zero Casualty.’ The Chief Minister noted that 153 rescue teams, comprising more than 6,000 personnel from NDRF, ODRAF, and Fire Service, are strategically located in vulnerable areas throughout the eight southern districts to respond to emergencies. An official report indicated that since Monday, 1,871 pregnant women have been moved to various health centers, with 452 giving birth.
Authorities have already declared the closure of schools and Anganwadi centers in nine districts until October 30, and the East Coast Railway has announced the cancellation, diversion, and short termination of certain trains operating in the Waltair region and related routes. Additionally, government employees have had their leave canceled until October 30. To safeguard public safety, all sea beaches have been closed to both tourists and locals, as stated by Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) D K Singh. A report from Puri mentioned that a lifeguard was injured after being allegedly attacked by tourists at the beach on Tuesday when he tried to prevent them from swimming due to cyclone Montha.
The assailant’s wife reportedly struck the lifeguard with slippers for stopping their entry into the sea, according to police. Given the rough sea conditions, the state government has advised fishermen to refrain from venturing into the Bay of Bengal along the Odisha coast until October 29. The East Coast Railway reported the cancellation of 61 trains, diversion of two, and alterations to five others, while eight trains were rescheduled. The weather agency also recommended hoisting local cautionary signal (LC-III) No-III at Gopalpur Port and Distant Warning Signal No-II (DW-II) at Paradip, Dhamra, Puri, Chhatrapur, and Chandbali ports in Odisha.