Ahmedabad/Bhuj, 29 October 2014

Following are the measures being taken by Kutch district administration to tackle possible landfall of tropical cyclone Nilofar in next 72 hours or so. Suppose if Nilofar weakens and fails to show major impact, even then, this exercise by the district administration will be helpful to learn the lessons of disaster management:

-IPS officers are given task by state police to hold camps at Gandhidham and Kandla.
-10 police station areas of coastal and border Kutch that cover 91 villages are given standby orders.
-A meeting called by Kutch(West) police superintendent DN Patel went on for over four hours between 1.30 pm and 6.00 pm. Cops were told that not even a single person should die due to cyclone. In 91 villages none should stay in kachcha house or slum.
-During the meeting, various issues like bandobast during evacuation, group petroling, requisite vehicles, wireless set, raincoats etc were discussed.
-State Minister Tarachand Chheda is visiting Abdasa taluka’s Nalliya, Jakhau, Suthri etc places on 29 October to take stock of advance preparedness.
-Swaminarayan mandir Bhuj, VRTI Naliya, Rotery Bhuj, Roteract Nakhatrana, Viraytan, Lions Bhuj, Sarva Seva Sangh, KVO Bhuj, Panjrapol organization, Adani Foundation, Mata no Madh, Narayan Sarovar trusts, Bidada and Bhojay trusts and other organizations are already in process to make arrangements of food packets, blanket, pouches of water, medical teams etc.
-Mandavi beach has been closed for visitors till 31st.
-Mandvi Chamber has accepted responsibility to make 500 food packets while Rotery club of Mandvi will provide 10,000 drinking water pouches, Virayatan will make food packets at 72 Jinayalay.

Earlier:

-Sagar Suraksha Dal swimmers on standby for eventual rescue operations.
-Evacuation operation carried out across 117 villages in Kutch district. Over 8,000 people shifted to safer location in Abdasa taluka. Over all more than 40,000 people shifted so far.
-NDRF teams moved to Kutch. Ahead of cyclone, they will meet villagers to aware them, and convey them safety precautions.
-Leaves of taluka and district level officers canceled.
-Health teams to counter epidemic.
-Forest department teams to remove uprooted trees obstructing traffic on roads.
-150 ST buses are to be allotted if needed to shift affected/likely-to-be-affected people.
-Villages located in 15 km area from sea shore are in focus for evacuation and shifting.
-Temporary medical centres with health staff and medicines.
-Over 40 tankers are ready for water supply.
-Additional Narmada water storage is being made.
-Generators to run tube-wells for water supply.
-Rop, life boat, jacket, generator set, JCB machines.
-Coordination with newspapers and cable TV network to relay updates.
-Two SRP companies called, one will be deployed at Kandla while other at Jakhau.
-BSF boats to be anchored at Buddhu bandar.
-An emergency gang of 200 power employees ready on round the clock basis to restore power supply.
-Additional electricity poles are procured with other equipments like transformer, wire etc.
-Power supply control room numbers are activated. They are 99789 36126 and land line 258052 in Bhuj.
-Additional Chief Engineer will camp in Kutch district. He has arrived from Rajkot.
-Food packets for power supply teams are to be made.
-District panchayat has started its own control room.
-Preparedness for chlorination of water.
-Kandla port has signal alert no.2.
-Coast Guard and Navy are asked to round up fishermen in 25 nautical miles area off Kutch coast and push them back to nearest fishing port. Directives are issued for proper parking of additional boats.
-Cattle must not be tied during cyclone. They should be free to run to safer location.
-Farm produce lied in open should be shifted to protected place due to possibility of rain. Specific crop wise directives are issued for groundnut, cotton, bajra, mag and tal.
-Villagers asked to shift cattle to safer places.
-Toll free helpline number 1070 dedicated to cyclone situation announced.

From the state government:

Chief Secretary of Gujarat Dr. Varesh Sinha has asked district administration that district emergency operation centers must be active on round the clock basis. Helpline numbers announced must be in working condition. Staff and officers on duty should continue to be in contact with villagers. Field officers should remain present at headquarters.He stressed on evacuation, drinking water availability, power and healthcare facilities, diesel generator sets and petromax to counter power failure, availability of proper stock of water, food items and other things of daily use, bulldozer and cutter machines to remove uprooted trees, better coordination between district police, SRP, Coast Guard, Air Force, Army etc, return of fishermen from sea, onsite and of site plan procedures in major industrial units, power plants and ports, regulated movement of laborers, utilization of local TV channels to educate people on do and don’ts before/during and after cyclone, shifting of salt workers and closure of salt plant works, district level coordination with mobile service providers to ensure there’s no obstruction in service among other measures.

-Food and Civil Suppl department has made arrangement for proper supply of food items, fuel and daily usage material.
-All petrol pumps are supplied enough stock of petrol and diesel.
-Four tankers of diesel are reserved for Kutch district.
-Arrangements are made for 200 mt supply of daily use items in each taluka.
-Health department has supplied enough stock of medicines and chlorine tablets in primary health centers, community health centers, sub centers and hospitals.
-Kutch district has been given more 108 ambulances.
-Auxiliary nurse mid-wife will be responsible for tracking of pregnant women.
-Enough ST buses are allocated for evacuation in coastal areas.
-2 teams of NDRF are sent Bhuj, 1 to Gandhidham, 1 Gir Somnath, 1 Devbhmi Dwarka, 1 Rajkot and 1 Morbi.
-Ham radio teams are activated at Naliya, Bhuj and Gandhidham.
-Water supply department has arranged proper number of tankers, Private tankers, 5,000 liter PVC tanks, diesel generator seats at water supply department’s tanker filling points.
-46 dewatering pump are ready to tackle water logging(27 of them in Kutch) if there’s heavy rain or flood.
-Quick response teams are formed led by RFO to tackle uprooted trees.
-District prabhari secretary and minster to camp in district.

From the central government:

-10 Satellite phones are given to Gujarat government, 2 of them for Kutch.
-The government of India has asked all telecom operators in Gujarat to share infrastructure through intra-circle roaming arrangements for 15 days and advised them on measures to restore communication facilities in the event of the state being hit by cyclone Nilofar.
-The Department of Telecom (DoT) has asked access providers to take steps for immediate maintenance and restoration of telecommunication facilities in these areas and to facilitate the knowledge of well being of relatives in Nilofar affected area.
-Call centers with helpline number 1948 for telecom services and missing persons.The number will be accessible from other service areas.
-The operators are asked to transmit messages or advisories through SMS from government/NDMA and Met Department to all subscribers in the state.
-Wi-Fi hotspots in relief camps being organized by respective state government on the lines of facilities provided during recent J&K floods.
-All national long distance service providers and VSAT providers asked to extend help to meet the challenge by sharing infrastructure for immediate restoration of telecommunication facilities.
-Army, Navy, Coast Guard, BSF to join rescue and relief mission in affected areas.
-NDRF teams moved.