In Odisha, evacuation of over eight lakh people from low-lying coastal areas is in full swing as the extremely severe cyclonic storm 'Fani' has moved closer to the eastern coast.&nbsp;<br />''<br />''It is likely to make landfall near Puri tomorrow with wind speeds ranging up to 180 kilometres per hour.&nbsp;<br />''<br />''Our correspondent quoting official sources said the evacuation exercise will be completed by this evening.&nbsp;<br />''<br />''In view of the cyclone, FANI 103 train services under East Coast Railway zone have been cancelled from today.&nbsp;<br />''<br />''However, three special trains have been arranged for the return of tourists of West Bengal.&nbsp;<br />''<br />''5 special Buses have been deployed by Odisha State Road Transport Corporation for return of tourists from Puri. Ganjam,&nbsp; Puri,&nbsp; Khurda and Jagatsinghpur districts will be worst affected with the cyclone.<br />''<br />''Chief Minister&nbsp; Naveen Patnaik has appealed the people to not to be frightened and cooperate with the government during this emergency situation.&nbsp; He has also appealed to take care of women, children, old persons and differently abled persons.&nbsp;<br />''<br />''70 High-level officers have been deployed in&nbsp; 9 coastal districts for smooth conduct of rescue and relief operations. 25,425 people have been shifted to 3001 cyclonic shelters in 11 districts till this morning.&nbsp;<br />''<br />''Meanwhile, leaves of all doctors, health officials and police personnel have been cancelled. Educational institutions have been asked to remain closed for three days from today.<br />''<br />''The Indian Coast Guard and the Navy have deployed ships and helicopters for relief and rescue operations. Army and Air Force units have also been put on .<br />''National Disaster Response Force, NDRF has deployed 28 teams in Odisha, 12 in Andhra Pradesh and 6 in West Bengal. Additionally, 32 teams have been kept on standby.<br />''<br />''Airports Authority of India (AAI) has issued an to all coastal airports to take precautionary measures to face any eventuality.<br />''<br />''National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) met in New Delhi yesterday to take stock of the situation.&nbsp;<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">The NCMC will meet again today.</span>
News On AIR | May 2, 2019 1:56 PM
Fani: Operation launched to evacuate people from low-lying areas of Odisha