Ahmedabdad:

Amid the concerns over the movement of severe cyclone Ockhi towards Gujarat, Met Center Director here, Jayanta Sarkar today said that by the time it would touch the Gujarat coast tomorrow it would weaken considerably and won’t be a ‘cyclone’.

Sarkar said that Ockhi was currently a cyclone of very severe nature but by the time it crosses Gujarat it would weaken considerably and turn in to a deep of simple depression.

‘The highest wind speed would be 60 to 65 kmph and it can’t be termed as a cyclone. The heavy rainfall in parts of South Gujarat and coastal Saurashtra would also be for only one day ie December 5. The situation was likely to improve from the next day,’ he said.

He however said that as the sea would be rough to very rough along Gujarat coast the fishermen have been strictly advised to not to venture in to the sea.

Meanwhile as a precautionary measure NDRF teams have been deployed in several of the coastal areas. Other measures were also being taken.

CM Vijay Rupani chaired a review meeting in capital Gandhinagar in which Chief secretary J N Singh and other officials participated.

Principal secretary of Revenue department Pankanj Kumar said that various precautionary measures have been taken. He informed that 50 boats from Kerala have taken shelter at Veraval in Gujarat owing to the cyclone.

Ockhi was situated at 770 km South South West from Surat at 1430 hrs this afternoon. It is likely to touch the southern coast tomorrow evening. Under its impact several districts were witnessing light to moderate rain today. Met has issued heavy rainfall warning for tomorrow and rainfall till day after tomorrow.

DeshGujarat