High-level meeting on Cyclone Tauktae

A high-level team under the chairmanship of cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba met on Sunday afternoon to review the preparedness of agencies in five vulnerable states - Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala - which are threatened by Cyclone Tauktae, which is moving along India's western coast towards Gujarat.

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), Tauktae, which has intensified into a "very severe cyclonic storm", will cross Gujarat coast around early morning on May 18.

Top bureaucrat of the country directed agencies to ensure "uninterrupted" functioning of the COVID hospitals in the states affected by the impending Cyclone Tauktae and secure "zero loss" of lives.

Officers from various central agencies, the chief secretaries of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the administrators of the Union territories of Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu took part in the meeting, a statement issued by the government said.

The chief secretaries of the concerned states apprised the central committee of the preparatory measures put in place to deal with the cyclonic storm.

Adequate stocks of foodgrain, drinking water and other essential supplies have been arranged and preparations made to maintain essential services such as power, telecommunications, they said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), meanwhile, said that it has deployed/made available 79 teams in these states and 22 additional teams are also kept on standby. Rescue and relief teams of the Army, Navy and Coast Guard along with ships and aircrafts have also been deployed.

During the meeting, it was announced that hazardous trees in the Mumbai area had been pruned. Hoardings that have been deemed dangerous have been ordered to be removed immediately.

PM Modi took high-level meeting:

Earlier, on saturday Prime Minister Narendra took a high-level meeting to review the preparedness to deal with the situation arising out of cyclone.

The Prime Minister directed senior officers to take every possible measure to ensure that people are safely evacuated by the state governments and to ensure maintenance of all essential services such as power, telecommunications, health, drinking water and are restored immediately in the event of damages caused to them.