‘Zero Casualty Is Our Aim’: Odisha CM As Govt Shifts 3 Lakh People To Relief Shelters Ahead Of Cyclone ‘Dana’ Landfall

Bhubaneswar: With severe cyclonic storm ‘Dana’ set to hit Odisha coast between Bhitarkanika and Dhamra by Friday morning, the state government on Thursday evacuated more than three lakh people from vulnerable areas as Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi put emphasis on ensuring ‘zero casualty.’

As per official sources, the landfall process of the cyclone is likely to begin around midnight and completed in the early hours of Friday as ‘Dana’ will hit the coast with an estimated speed of around 120 kmph.

As heavy rain continued to lash coastal areas amid increase in wind speed, districts such as Kendrapada, Bhadrak and Balasore are likely to be severely affected by the cyclone. Heavy to extremely heavy rain will batter many areas of coastal districts.

Altogether 1,653 villages, nine towns, and 26 wards across 38 blocks in 11 districts are likely to be affected by the cyclonic storm, the Chief Minister said after reviewing the preparedness for the storm.

Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) and other senior officials were present at the meeting held at Lok Seva Bhavan in Bhubaneswar.

The Collectors of Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Cuttack, Khurda, and Jajpur districts also participated virtually in the review meeting.

The Chief Minister said that total of 362,000 people are to be evacuated from vulnerable areas, while more than 3 lakh had already been safely shifted to relief shelters as of 11 am on Thursday.

He said that police would be deployed to prevent thefts and robberies and appealed to everyone to go to safe places.

Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is closely monitoring the cyclone situation, the CM stressed on measures to achieve 100% evacuation within hours. Additionally, 2,338 pregnant women have been moved to hospitals and Maa Gruha from high-risk areas.

The government has operationalized 7,285 shelters, including 842 permanent and 6,443 temporary ones, across the affected districts. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is closely monitoring the situation, assuring necessary support, he said.

Experienced IAS officers have been deployed to expedite evacuation, while nine state cabinet ministers oversee vulnerable districts.

During discussion with the district collectors, the Chief Minister directed them to focus on 100% evacuation, zero casualty, uninterrupted electricity service in hospitals, adequate supply of kerosene, petrol, diesel in the affected areas, provision of cooked food to the cyclone shelters and clean toilets.

A total of 19 NDRF, 51 ODRAF, and 220 Fire Service teams are on standby, along with 157 police platoons, 92 medical teams, and 58 veterinary teams to undertake rescue and relief operations.