Hyderabad:
With the cyclonic storm Thane closing in on the Bay of Bengal coast, the state government issued a high alert on Thursday.
The "very severe cyclonic storm", that lay centred over southwest Bay of Bengal on Wednesday morning, is expected to move westwards and cross north Tamil Nadu coast between Nagapattinam and Chennai on Thursday morning.
The storm is likely to trigger heavy rains of up to 25 cm in Nellore, Prakasam, Chittoor, Guntur, Krishna and other Rayalaseema districts. With wind speeds reaching up to 110 135 kmph, sea waves are likely to reach a height of one metre. The influence of the cyclone would continue for the next 48 hours.
After a review meeting with chief secretary Pankaj Dwivedi and other officials, Revenue minister N Raghuveera Reddy said instructions have been given to all district collectors to shift people living in lowlying areas to safer places. He advised fishermen not to venture into the sea, till the severity of the cyclonic storm is reduced.
The minister said out of the 72 fishermen who were missing since Wednesday all but eight have been rescued by the Coast Guard and the Navy. Reddy also said extensive search operations have been launched with three Navy helicopters pressed into service.
Raghuveera Reddy said farmers living near the seashore have been alerted to protect their crop. The government fears there could be damage to crops like paddy and groundnut due to the cyclone. He said that irrigation department officials have been asked to ensure there are no breaches in major canals.
"The Roads and Buildings, Municipal Administration, Electricity, Medical and Health and Fisheries departments have been put on high alert," Raghuveera Reddy said. He also appealed to devotees who planned to visit Tirupati in the next couple of days to postpone their travel plans in view of the cyclone.
Disaster management commissioner T Radha, fisheries department commissioner K Praveen Kumar, Energy principal secretary Dinesh Kumar and other officials attended the meeting.