Gujarat geared up for 'Biparjoy' cyclone, 7500 moved to safer places

Ahmedabad: In a joint operation, authorities have moved 7,500 people to safer places and put in place an elaborate evacuation plan in Gujarat as powerful Cyclone 'Biparjoy' in the Arabian Sea appears set to hit the western state on June 15 with winds gusting up to 150 kilometres per hour, officials and the IMD said on Monday.

In New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed officials to ensure safe evacuation of people living in vulnerable locations in the path of the cyclone that was likely to make landfall on Thursday afternoon and will be preceded by extremely heavy rainfall. The PM chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness of the Centre as well as the Gujarat government to deal with the situation arising out of the impending cyclone. 'Biparjoy' was likely to make landfall near the Jakhau port in Kutch district on Thursday afternoon as a 'very severe cyclonic storm' with maximum wind speed reaching up to 150 kilometres per hour, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

In May 2021, another powerful cyclone, 'Tauktae', had hit the Gujarat coast. Officials said authorities in the coastal districts of Kutch, Porbandar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Junagadh and Morbi began evacuating people residing near the sea and had suspended fishing activities as well as hoisted warning signals at ports. "The cyclone is likely to make landfall near the Jakhau port. It will hit Gujarat coast around noon on June 15. It will be preceded by winds with speeds of 135-145 kmph gusting to 150 kmph and extremely heavy rainfall," said IMD Ahmedabad centre director Manorama Mohanty. A warning has been issued for heavy rainfall for Saurashtra-Kutch and Gujarat regions during June 15-1