Bhubaneswar: It’s too early for the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to predict whether the cyclonic circulation that is brewing over South Andaman Sea and its neighbourhood will intensify into a cyclonic storm. If so, its possible path and place of landfall.
Amid speculations, Odisha’s Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain on Wednesday urged people to avoid panic buying.
Swain asked people not to buy and stock essential items unnecessarily in view of the possible cyclone. It might cause artificial shortage in the market with traders taking advantage of the situation, he said.
Saying that the state government was fully prepared to deal with the situation, he warned black marketers of stringent action. There is surplus food and other essentials in the market and there is no need to worry.
A cyclonic circulation has formed over South Andaman Sea and its neighbourhood, the IMD said on Wednesday morning. It is likely to become a low-pressure area over the same region around May 6 and intensify during the subsequent 24 hours.
If it intensifies into a cyclone, it will be named Cyclone Asani.
