Cyclone Biparjoy is moving northwards at a speed of 5 kilometers per hour.
Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to make landfall in Gujarat's Saurashtra and Kutch regions and adjoining Pakistan coasts tomorrow evening. The storm is currently located over the east-central Arabian Sea, about 350 kilometers southwest of Porbandar.
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On Tuesday, authorities in Gujarat shifted at least 44,000 people from coastal areas to temporary shelters in anticipation of the powerful cyclone which is expected to make landfall near Jakhau port in the Kutch district tomorrow evening.
The IMD has issued a red alert for Saurashtra and Kutch. According to officials, several NDRF and SDRF teams are on standby. The army is also prepared to assist in relief efforts, and has stationed flood relief columns at strategic locations. The army has coordinated its plans with the civil administration and the NDRF.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday reviewed Gujarat's preparedness for the cyclone in a virtual meeting with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and other senior officials. Mr Shah asked the state government to make arrangements to move people living in vulnerable areas to safer locations, and to ensure that all essential services, including electricity, telecommunications, healthcare, and drinking water, are available in these areas.
"We have already started evacuating people residing near the coast who are likely to be affected the most during the landfall. So far, various district administrations have shifted nearly 30,000 people to temporary shelters," said Alok Kumar Pandey, State Commissioner of Relief, as quoted by news agency PTI.
The cyclone is expected to cross between Mandvi in Kutch and Karachi in Pakistan near Jakhau port tomorrow evening, with wind speeds of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph, according to Ahmedabad IMD director Manorama Mohanty.
The IMD has issued a warning for extremely heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds in coastal parts of the Saurashtra-Kutch region. The warning is especially for the districts of Kutch, Porbandar, and Devbhumi Dwarka.
"After it makes landfall and weakens, the movement of the cyclone is likely to remain north-eastward and it is expected to move towards extreme south Rajasthan. It will bring heavy to very heavy rain in north Gujarat till June 15-17," Ms Mohanty said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
The rescue operation is being carried out in two phases. In the first phase, people living within 0 to 5 kilometers of the seashore are being evacuated. In the second phase, people living within 5 to 10 kilometers of the coast will be evacuated, Mr Pandey said.
In view of the impending cyclone, 17 NDRF and 12 SDRF teams have been placed on standby in the affected districts of Devbhumi Dwarka, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Porbandar, Gir Somnath, Morbi, and Valsad.
The Western Railway has taken precautionary measures to ensure the safety of passengers and train operations. As a result, 69 trains have been cancelled, 32 trains have been terminated short of their destination, and 26 trains have been originated short of their source.
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