24 NRDF teams reached coastal districts of Gujarat

Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani held a high-level meeting in Gandhinagar today to take stock of the current state of possible Cyclone Tauktae in Gujarat and the state government’s preparation to deal with the cyclone.

The Chief Minister directed the administration to be prepared on immediate basis and plan ahead to deal with the impending cyclone in the coastal districts of the state. He also received in-depth information on the arrangements made by the concerned districts.

Giving details of the meeting, the Chief Minister said that Emergency Operation Centre Control Room is constantly in contact with the Indian Meteorological Department and Meteorologists to monitor the movement of this possible cyclone in Gujarat and make appropriate preparations.

Chief Minister, with the concept of ‘zero’ casualty’, has instructed the district administration to ensure that not a single death is caused by this possible cyclone in the state.

Vijaybhai Rupani said that the entire administration has already been on alert with consideration of possible impact of this cyclone in the regions of Kutch, Dwarka, Gir Somnath, Porbandar, Amreli, Junagadh and Jamnagar districts and he has personally talked over a phone to the collectors of these districts and obtained details of the situation and advance planning done by the district administration.

“In the prevailing situation of Covid-19, it has been instructed to do special arrangements for critical patients undergoing treatment in government and private Covid hospitals in the coastal districts of the state where the cyclone may affect. Also, the collectors of these districts have been told to maintain the supply of oxygen and other necessary arrangements in such circumstances,” said the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister said that in all the hospitals of the state, instructions have been given to keep DG sets ready so that even if the power supply is disrupted, the patients of Covid-19 do not have to face any inconvenience in their treatment.

Vijay Rupani also added that all the patients undergoing treatment on oxygen and ventilator should be kept safe and if necessary, they should be shifted to Covid Hospitals in the nearest districts.

The Chief Minister also said that ambulances with advanced life support system and ICU ambulances would be shifted from different parts of the state and kept on standby in Jamnagar, Rajkot, Kutch and Junagadh.

The Chief Minister said that the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister have been providing great help to Gujarat in dealing with this potential cyclone. 24 teams of NDRF allotted by the Government of India have been deployed in the coastal districts of the state. In addition, 6 teams of SDRF have been deployed and BSF, Police, Fire Brigade have also been alerted and equipped.

The Ministers of State have been assigned special responsibilities and directed to reach out to the districts allotted to them with immediate effect to guide the district administration in dealing with this potential cyclone situation in the districts of Saurashtra, Kutch and South Gujarat, added the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister said that the fishermen have been instructed by the Fisheries Department and the collectors of respective districts to return back to land. Also, the administration is working toward bringing seafarers back to the land.

It has been instructed in all public and private Covid hospitals to wind-proof windows, doors, glass and temporary structures so that they are not damaged due to heavy winds. The Chief Minister has also instructed the engineers of all the municipalities of Saurashtra to ensure that ongoing construction of tall buildings and hoardings do not fall down due to strong winds.

He said that the Rapid Response teams have been formed in each district to ensure that the supply of Oxygen and other essentials does not get disrupted and communication network, roads and power supply are maintained, and if the trees are affected in this potential cyclone, they can be rehabilitated.

The Chief Minister made it clear that the manner in which this potential cyclone has been predicted, in case the cyclone occurs, the entire administration should be equipped to deal with it and minimize the damage. Information