Bhubaneswar: Following the IMD warning of a cyclonic storm forming over Bay of Bengal in the next 72 hours, the Odisha government on Friday directed the collectors of 11 coastal districts to stock up essential commodities in advance.
Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain issued the directive in a letter to the collectors of Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Khurda, Cuttack, Puri, Nayagarh, Gajapati and Ganjam districts.
The minister told them to ensure that all remote and inaccessible pockets must have adequate stock of PDS (public distribution system) items.
The collectors were also asked to identify the areas which are likely to be cut off or badly hit, and allow the fair price shops (FPSs) to lift their entitlements in advance.
Swain also stressed on the maintenance of all fluid reserve stock by all licensees and direct the filling stations to keep enough stock of petrol and diesel along with generators.
He also directed the Chief Civil Supply Officers (CCSOs), Civil Supply Officers (CSOs) and field officials to provide full support and assistance to the district administration.
Cyclone Forecast
On Friday morning, the Meteorological Centre Bhubaneswar warned that a low pressure area is very likely to form over East-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining North Andaman Sea around Saturday.
It is very likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by May 24 (Monday). It is very likely to move north-westwards and reach near Odisha and Bengal coasts by the morning of May 26 (Wednesday).
