Cyclone Biparjoy: Amit Shah visits Gujarat; heavy rainfall in Rajasthan. Top updates

Cyclone Biparjoy's arrival caused power outages in almost 4,500 villages in Saurashtra and Kutch. Some 1,500 villages are yet to have the electricity restored.

Two days after cyclone Biparjoy made landfall near Jakhau Port in Gujarat’s Kutch, Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas of the Jakhau and Mandvi districts. He also met with injured people and spoke to National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel engaged in relief and rescue operations. He was accompanied by Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel.

People wade through waist deep water to check on their boats anchored at Jakhau port after landfall of Cyclone Biparjoy at Jakhau in Kutch district of Gujarat, Saturday. (AP)

Cyclone Biparjoy, which hit Gujarat as a ‘very severe cyclonic storm’, had prompted authorities to relocate over 1 lakh people to temporary shelters in due to the anticipation of damage and destruction caused by the cyclone. Its arrival had initially caused power outages in almost 4,500 villages in Saurashtra and Kutch. Some 1,500 villages are yet to have the electricity restored.

Where is cyclone ‘Biparjoy’ now:

Following its landfall, cyclone Biparjoy, which is currently in the form of a deep depression in Rajasthan, is expected to weaken further in the next 12 hours, the India Meteorological Department said early Saturday. Three districts in the desert state were put on a ‘red’ alert by the weather body as moderate to heavy rainfall is likely to continue for 3 to 4 hours. Further, Pali and Jodhpur districts have been put on an ‘orange’ alert meanwhile a ‘yellow’ alert for Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Churu, Sikar, Nagaur, Jhunjhunu, Ajmer, Udaipur, Rajsamand, Jaipur, Jaipur City, Dausa, Alwar, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Tonk, Bundi and Kota was issued.

‘Coastal districts of Gujarat slowly return to normalcy’

More than 1 lakh people who were temporarily relocated in relief camps in Gujarat, have started returning back to their homes after the storm weakened. Amit Shah during his visit today, told reporters that a relief package will be announced after the state government carries out a survey of damage to crops, horticulture and boats. He also said that no casualties were reported due to the cyclone, while the number of injured persons remained 47. A total of 234 cattle died, Shah added.

'700 homes in eight districts partially/fully destroyed'

Due to cyclone Biparjoy’s strong impact, more than 700 homes in the eight coastal districts of Gujarat were partially or fully damaged. Gujarat Energy Secretary Mamta Verma told Reuters that in many villages, electricity supply had been intentionally disconnected as a preventive measure to avoid any potential hazards caused by the storm.

Continuous downpour caused many low-lying areas in Gujarat to experience flood-like situations. Similar reports surfaced from some districts of Rajasthan, including Barmer.

Railways cancels 12 trains

As the rail traffic was also affected by the storm, the North Western Railway on Saturday cancelled 12 trains, including the Amritsar-Gandhidham Express train service, Jodhpur-Bhildi Express train service, Valsad-Bhildi Express train service, Jodhpur-Palanpur Express, Jodhpur-Palanpur Express, Barmer-Munabao Express, Munabao-Barmer Express. Full list here.