Coast Guard gears up as 'Nilofar' moves towards Gujarat, about 30, 000 people to be evacuated

Gandhinagar: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is preparing itself to deal with any eventuality arising out of very severe cyclonic strom 'Nilofar' which is expected to make a landfall near Naliya village in Kutch district on November 1.

According to reports, an estimated 30,000 people along coastal areas will be moved to safer places in Kutch district of Gujarat from tomorrow.

Taking precautionary measures in view of the approaching storm, the district collector of Kutch has asked the administration to initiate evacuation process in eight tehsils. 

Meanwhile, the ICG has activated cyclone monitoring cells and deployed 30 ICG ships, besides aircraft and helicopters, to tackle the situation, a senior official said on Tuesday.

"The Coast Guard is ready to tackle any eventuality due to this very severe cyclonic storm. We have deployed four Dornier aircraft, two ALH helicopters and around 30 ICG ships to deal with the situation," said Commander (ICG), North West Region, Inspector General (IG) Kuldip Singh Sheoran.

He was addressing reporters at the Coast Guard Region (North-West) headquarter in Gandhinagar today.

"The Cyclone Monitoring Cells were activated at ICG operation centres at Gandhinagar, Porbanadar, Jakahu, Mundra, Vadinar, Okha and Pipavav which are manning round-the-clock and monitoring the cyclonic movement," he said.

Sheoran said there are 8 radars that can stream live visuals up to 25 nautical miles. "This will help in tracing the situation of fishermen from Gandhinagar headquarter," he added.

Asked whether Coast Gurad will need extra deployment of force, Sheoran said, "Looking at the intensity of 'Nilofar', we can say that we will be capable of taking proper measures."

The cyclonic storm is predicted to hit coastal areas of Gujarat near Kutch on Saturday, following which evacuation operations are being initiated by the government.

Responding to a query, Sheoran said that 70 per cent of fishing boats have come inside the coast, while other 30 per cent will be inside before 'Nilofar' hits the coast.

"The ICG will trace fishermen through Distress Alert Transponders (DAT), which have been given to most of the fishermen in the state," he said.

Meanwhile, an ICG release said that all ports have been asked to broadcast the cyclone warning at regular intervals to all ships within the port limits and at anchorage and keep the disaster contingency plan ready.

"The oil handling agencies in Gujarat have also been asked to monitor the situation closely and take necessary action as per local oil spill contingency plan," it added.

The Port Trust of Mundra, Kandla, Reliance and IOC have also been asked to take necessary action as per this plan, the statement said. 

With Agency inputs