Cyclone Nisarga: Railways deploys disaster management teams, won’t stop passenger & Shramik specials
Railways has decided to continue its services on Wednesday when the cyclone will hit Maharashtra and Gujarat
The railways has deployed its disaster management units in Maharashtra to deal with any operational challenges presented by cyclone Nisarga that is projected to make a landfall in the coastal region close to Alibag in Raigad district of Maharashtra tomorrow afternoon before moving to Gujarat and said that services on the central, western and Konkan railway will continue for passenger trains and Shramik specials.
The railways’ disaster management units will be positioned near the railway tracks to monitor water logging on the tracks following rains accompanying the cyclone.
The state government had earlier today requested the railways to tweak schedules if necessary in the view of the impending cyclone so that the operation of Shramik specials—train service being run to ferry migrants to their home states—is not impacted.
As the appointed hour of cyclone Nisarga’s landfall comes closer, the disaster management preparations on the ground have gained further momentum with the decision to deploy five additional teams of NDRF in Mumbai. The additional units being airlifted from Vishakhapatnam this evening will take the total number of NDRF teams in Mumbai to eight. Each of these have around 45 personnel and they are laced with equipment such as rescue boats, tree and pole cutters, life jackets, ropes, breathing masks, floaters, etc.
Also Read: Cyclone Nisarga expected to bring 100 kmph winds: All you need to know
A total of 20 NDRF teams have been put on active duty in Maharashtra including eight in Mumbai, four in Raigad, two each in Ratnagiri, Palghar and Thane and one each in Sindhudurg and Navi Mumbai.
Evacuation of people living in mud houses in Palghar and other areas in the projected path of the cyclone has been carried out. Six Maharashtra districts have been put on alert including Mumbai, Raigad, Thane, Palghar, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.
Indian Coast Guard ships, aircraft and on shore stations are also continuously relaying warnings about impending adverse weather to merchant vessels and the fishermen.
The Brihanmumbai electricity supply and transport (BEST) undertaking, which supplies power to Mumbai city, has put teams of engineers on standby to ensure supply restoration, especially to Covid hospitals and care centres, in case of a power failure. Coved-19 patients have been shifted from BKC Covid quarantine center to NSCI Worli quarantine Center due to the cyclone alert in Mumbai.
Drills have been conducted at Girgaon and all six beaches to ensure ground coordination between beach safety and flood response teams.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the cyclonic storm Nisarga was reported to be moving northwards from eastcentral Arabian Sea with a speed of 13 kmph and was stationed about 290 km west-northwest of Panjim in Goa, 380 km south-southwest of Mumbai and 600 km south-southwest of Surat at around 2:30 pm on Tuesday, according to the weather department.
Also Read: Cyclone Nisarga: IMD issues red alert for Mumbai
It said that was very likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours and move and cross north Maharashtra and adjoining south Gujarat coast between Harihareshwar and Daman, close to Alibag in Raigad during the afternoon of 03rd June with a maximum sustained wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph.
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