Cyclone Sidr comes up for discussion at Cabinet

The approaching cyclone storm Sidr came up for discussion at the Cabinet meeting today with the government reviewing the emergency measures that have been taken up by various Central and State Government authorities to tackle it in the wake of a landfall, which the cyclonic storm is expected to make on Thursday midnight.

New Delhi, Nov 15 : The approaching cyclone storm 'Sidr' came up for discussion at the Cabinet meeting today with the government reviewing the emergency measures that have been taken up by various Central and State Government authorities to tackle it in the wake of a landfall, which the cyclonic storm is expected to make on Thursday midnight.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued advisory to the States and Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Orissa and West Bengal. Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh have also been informed to keep a close watch, stated a release issued by the Cabinet.

They have been requested to take appropriate precautionary measures keeping the Home Ministry informed about any development, it added.

The Relief Commissioners of West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands are being updated with regular information about the cyclone, and the Home Ministry has also alerted the BSF, NDRF, and CISF Battalion at Mundali in Orissa for deployment and relief work.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), 'Sidr', which was formed in the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday, is only 530 kilometres south of Kolkata, and has shown "fast movement" during the last three hours.

The cyclonic system with maximum sustained wind speed of 200 kmph is likely to cross West Bengal-Bangladesh coast east of Sagar Island today around midnight, the IMD has stated.

ANI