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Cyclone Fani: Odisha evacuates over 11 lakh people

With the extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani expected to cross the Odisha coast between Gopalpur and Chandbali, south of Puri town, on Friday morning, the State government on Thursday evacuated over 11 lakh people from low-lying areas in 15 districts.

Heavy rainfall had started at many places in the coastal districts by Thursday evening under the influence of the storm. Fani is expected to make landfall between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. and continue to rage up to noon, officials said. The cyclone will hit the coast with a maximum sustained wind speed of 170-180 kmph, gusting to 200 kmph. Storm surge of about 1.5 metre height may flood low-lying areas.

After landfall on Friday, Fani is very likely to continue to move north-northeastwards, weaken gradually and enter into West Bengal as a severe cyclonic storm with the wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 115 kmph.

According to Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi, while the evacuation exercise continued on Thursday, the administration made people in coastal areas aware of the risks, through loudspeakers, sirens and messages.

Flight operations from the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar will remain suspended from Thursday night for the next 24 hours. Educational institutions in the coastal districts were closed till further orders.

As many as 25 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) along with State fire service personnel have been deployed in the coastal districts. Defence forces were on high alert to meet any eventuality.

Around 10,000 villages spread over 14 districts such as Ganjam, Gajapati, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Bhadrak, Balasore and Mayurbhanj are likely to be affected.

The West Bengal government on Thursday advanced the summer holidays for State-run schools.

Fani’s impact is likely to be felt in Purba and Paschim Medinipur, North and South 24 Parganas and Kolkata.

The Kolkata Port Trust said shipping to the port will remain suspended.

No violation in Modi, Rahul’s speeches: EC

The Election Commission has not found any violation in the speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi, made in separate instances.

Mr. Modi’s speech in Rajasthan’s Barmer on April 21 had attracted strong criticism from the Opposition.

Targeting Pakistan in the context of Balakot air strike, the Prime Minister had said: “Every other day they used to say ‘we have nuclear button’…have we kept it for Diwali?”

The EC took cognisance of the complaint alleging violation of its advisories and the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), and sought a detailed report from the Rajasthan Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).

On receipt of the report and a 10-page certified transcript of the speech, the Commission on Thursday examined the matter “in accordance with the extant advisories, provisions of the Model Code of Conduct.”

The poll panel ruled that Mr. Modi’s comments did not violate the rules. This is the third impugned speech of Mr. Modi in which the EC has not found any violation.

Overrules observations

On Wednesday, overruling the observations of State officials, the Commission had said Mr. Modi’s speech at Latur in Maharashtra on April 9, in which he appealed to first time electors to dedicate their vote to the Pulwama martyrs and to the soldiers who carried out the air strike, did not violate the code.

The Commission was of the view that the Prime Minister had nowhere appealed for vote to the BJP.

The Commission had on Tuesday ruled that Mr. Modi’s speech at Wardha on April 1 also did not violate the MCC and the Representation of the People Act provisions.

Targets BJP chief

The complaint against Mr. Gandhi pertained to his speech in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur on April 23, in which he had addressed BJP chief Amit Shah as a “murder accused.”

The BJP had lodged the complaint with the EC alleging MCC violation. It cited some portions of Mr. Gandhi’s speech at a rally in Siroha (Jabalpur).

The Commission received a detailed report from the State CEO along with a certified transcript of the impugned speech. After examining the evidence at hand, the poll panel said the comments did not violate the Code.

During the speech, Mr. Gandhi had also targeted Mr. Amit Shah’s son Ajay Shah, saying he was a “magician” who converted 50,000 into 80 crore in three months.

And then, the Congress chief said, the Prime Minister had been advising the other young men to make “pakodas,” asking why Rafale jets and weapons could not be manufactured in the country. “No…that will go only to Anil Ambani, to the factory in France…,” he had said.

(Source – The Hindu)

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