The Mohan Majhi government has ordered the closure of all schools in 14 of the 30 districts that are expected to be affected by heavy rains and strong winds due to the cyclonic storm Dana, which is expected to strike the Odisha coast between October 24 and 25.
Issuing a letter to the Commissioner-cum-Secretary to Govt. School & Mass Education Department, the office of the Special Relief Commissioner informed about the government’s decision to close the schools in the affected districts from October 23 to October 25. Schools in Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Angul, Khordha, Nayagarh and Cuttack districts will remain closed for three days starting October 23.
The scheduled visit of President Droupadi Murmu to Odisha from Wednesday has also been postponed due to the impending cyclone. President Murmu was scheduled to visit Bangriposi, Uparbeda, Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district as well as Puri and Bhubaneswar October 23 to October 25. The President was scheduled to reach Bangriposi in Mayurbhanj district on October 23and then lay foundation stones for three railway lines — Bangiriposi-Gorumahisani, Buramara-Chakulia, and Badampahar-Kendujhargarh.
The low-pressure area over east-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Andaman Sea is likely to move west-northwestwards and intensify into a depression on Tuesday morning and turn into a cyclonic storm by Wednesday over east-central Bay of Bengal, IMD officials said. The storm is likely to cross the coast between north Odisha and Bengal coasts between Oct 24 night and October 25 morning.
Meanwhile, the pilgrims and tourists of other states have been asked to leave the temple town of Puri by Wednesday. “As there is enough probability that Puri may be affected by the cyclone, the district administration has been asked to make it sure that the devotees from different parts of Odisha and outside the state leave the city from tomorrow. We will try they should reach safer places before the arrival of cyclone Dana,” said Odisha revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari.
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Source: HT
