Wary of cyclone, Odisha gears up for calamity, govt to open control rooms

After being hit by summer cyclones for three consecutive years in 2019, 2020 and 2021, the Odisha government on Wednesday geared up for such an eventuality in the coming days, though the IMD forecast no possibility of any low-pressure formation in the Bay of Bengal in a fortnight.

The government decided to open a round-the-clock control room across the districts from May 1 for monitoring the situation, a senior official said.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary P K Jena where the state government's preparedness was reviewed.

Senior officers of several government departments, the Director General of Police, Director General of Fire Service, the Special Relief Commissioner, and a senior official of IMD Bhubaneswar Centre were among others who attended the meeting.

Jena asked line departments like revenue and disaster management, rural development, housing and urban development, health, home and panchayati raj and drinking water to be prepared for