The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), the country’s apex body to handle any emergency, on Saturday reviewed the preparedness to deal with cyclone ‘Bulbul’ that is likely to affect coastal districts of West Bengal and Odisha.
The meeting of the NCMC, headed by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, was informed by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) that the cyclone has intensified and is likely to cross the West Bengal coast by Saturday evening.
Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall, accompanied by winds reaching upto 120 kmph and tidal waves up to one to two metres high are expected. The cyclone is expected to make a landfall on the West Bengal coast at around 2000 to 2200 hours on Saturday. Chief Secretaries of West Bengal and Odisha said that teams of the State Disaster Response Force and Fire Service teams have been positioned.
Fishing operations have been suspended and people in low lying areas are being evacuated to shelter homes. As many as 16 teams of the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force have been positioned in West Bengal and additional teams are being deployed at the request of the States.
Officials of the Defence Ministry said that requisite number of ships, aircraft and special teams of the Coast Guard, the Indian Navy, the Army and the Air Force are on standby.
