Ahmedabad: With the administration on their toes as cyclone 'Biparjoy' rushes towards Kutch district in Gujarat, the Indian Army is also gearing up to deal with the impending emergency and help in the rescue and relief operations in the western state.
A Defence spokesperson said on Tuesday that Indian Army was preparing for the landfall of cyclone Biparjoy and has kept the relief teams ready to assist those in need.
"In consonance with its firm resolve to mitigate the hardships felt by the populace during times of natural disaster, the Indian Army prepared itself to provide succour to the locals post the landfall of the fierce cyclone Biparjoy in Gujarat," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The flood relief columns, the spokesperson said, have been rehearsed and kept ready at Bhuj, Jamnagar, Gandhidham, Dharangdhra, Vadodara and Gandhinagar as well as at forward locations at Naliya, Dwarka and Amreli. The Army authorities have also jointly planned the relief operations with civil administration as well as NDRF.
"The interaction has given all agencies involved in Disaster Management a platform to share their best practices and gain from each other. Representatives of Indian Army also attended the meeting chaired by the Chief Minister and pledged total support during the time of crisis. The resources have also been made available from neighbouring Rajasthan as well to ensure minimization of any loss due to the gusty winds and heavy rainfall," the spokesperson said.
On Tuesday, IMD said that 'Biparjoy' with an 'extensive damaging potential' is likely to make landfall near Jakhau port in Kutch district on Thursday evening. The authorities so far have shifted 21,000 people from different coastal districts to temporary shelters. They aim to evacuate people within 10 km of the coast.
The 'very severe cyclonic storm' with maximum wind speed reaching up to 150 kilometres per hour (kmph) is what is awaiting the coastal areas. The cyclone is likely to impact the Kutch, Devbhoomi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts of Gujarat the most.
