Cyclone Biparjoy: Over 20,000 people from affected districts evacuated so far in Gujarat

Gandhinagar: The state government is maintaining full vigilance to prevent any loss of life caused by the potential ‘Biparjoy’ cyclone in Gujarat said the Relief Commissioner Mr. Alok Kumar Pandey today in his briefing. Chief Secretary Shri Rajkumar from Gandhinagar assessed the situation of rescue and relief operations through a video conference with the Minister-in-charge, Secretary-in-charge, Collector, and the administration of Coastal Kutch, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Junagadh, Gir Somnath Morbi, and Rajkot districts, providing necessary guidance.

Union Minister Shri Mansukhbhai Mandaviya from Kutch, Minister Shri Rishikeshbhai Patel, State Minister Shri Prafullbhai Panseria, Minister Shri Kanubhai Desai from Morbi, Minister Shri Raghavjibhai Patel from Rajkot, and Minister Shri Kunvarjibhai Bavlia from Porbandar were present and offered necessary guidance.

Relief Commissioner Pandey said the state government is placing significant emphasis on evacuating people to minimize casualties and losses. More than 20 thousand people have been relocated to safer places in the affected districts so far, with ongoing evacuation operations to be completed by this evening.

Providing further information, he stated that a total of 500 people in Junagadh district, 6786 in Kutch, 1500 in Jamnagar, 543 in Porbandar, 4820 in Dwarka, 408 in Gir Somnath, 2000 in Morbi, and 4031 in Rajkot have been shifted to secure locations, summing up to 20,588 individuals.

The Relief Commissioner added that 17 teams from NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) and 12 teams from SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) have been deployed in the cyclone-affected districts. NDRF has allocated 4 teams to Kutch, 3 teams each to Devbhoomi Dwarka and Rajkot, 2 teams to Jamnagar, and 1 team each to Junagadh, Porbandar, Gir Somnath, Morbi, and Valsad. Additionally, 3 reserve teams are stationed in Vadodara and 1 in Gandhinagar. SDRF has 2 teams each in Kutch, Jamnagar, and Devbhoomi Dwarka, while there is 1 team each in Junagadh, Porbandar, Gir Somnath, Morbi, Patan, and Banaskantha, with a reserve team stationed in Surat.

He further mentioned that the PGVCL (Paschim Gujarat Vij Company Limited) teams have made the required quantity of power poles available in the substations to restore power supply after the storm. Following the cyclone, the forest department and road department teams have been equipped with the necessary equipment, including tree cutters, to clear roads in the affected areas.

Pandey informed that shelter homes have been prepared in safe locations, such as government schools and offices, in the affected coastal districts. These facilities have made all necessary arrangements, including accommodation, food, and medicine. Adequate medical staff and the necessary quantity of medicines have also been made available in health centers, as well as government and private hospitals in nearby areas.

Thanks to the advance warning from the Meteorological Department, fishermen have safely returned. Mr. Pandey further stated that the state government is in constant contact to immediately provide all necessary assistance to the concerned district administrations for rescue operations.