Cyclone Phyan changes course,spares Gujarat

But at least 1,700 fishing boats remained stranded off the Gujarat coast. Several fishermen were out in the open sea when the Met Department sounded an alert yesterday,warning them against against venturing into the sea for 36 hours. Today,the Navy and the Coast Guard deployed ships and aircraft for search and rescue operations.

The Met Department has forecast tidal waves and high-speed coastal gales besides rain and thundershowers in south Gujarat.

On Wednesday,the average temperature in south Gujarat was between 28 and 30 degrees Celsius,while relative humidity was between 50 and 80 per cent.

Meanwhile,Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held a high-level meeting with his senior Cabinet colleagues and government officials to review the situation. Government spokesperson Jay Narayan Vyas later said that a disaster management plan has been chalked out and in-charge ministers and secretaries rushed to the four coastal districts of Valsad,Navsari,Surat and Bharuch.

He said 11 companies of SRP and four companies of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF),equipped with six rescue boats each,have been dispatched to the four coastal districts. The leaves of all doctors attached to the Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC) have been cancelled to tackle any crisis.

Many schools and colleges remained closed today,while villages in the coastal areas were evacuated and the people provided shelter in government schools and religious places. People were advised to stay at home.

Valsad Collector Nalin Thakar said: “We have just received information that cyclone Phyan has changed course to Alibaug and Mumbai. Even the pressure belt has started decreasing. We are carrying out rescue and don’t want to take any chances.”