Kutch: Jakhau port, the otherwise one of the busiest docks in Gujarat, where Cyclone Biparjoy is set to make landfall in hours on Thursday evening, wore a deserted look.
The bustling port has come to a standstill almost with no human activities in sight except for the movements of rescue teams amid sounds of rough sea, gushing wind and heavy rains as it awaits the landfall of cyclone Biparjoy.
Devoid of any living souls except for a few on-duty NDRF personnel as the entire human population there has been moved in anticipation of the landfall of the "very severe cyclonic storm". Rescue officials said hundreds of fishing boats have been brought ashore and parked in lines in the hope to save them from the imminent fury of nature.
Except for the Indian Coast Guard and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel manning the port, no one is allowed to enter the facility. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that the cyclone will make landfall near Jakhau. "The entire population including staff and fishermen have been evaluated from the port as nobody is allowed to enter the port as it braces for the cyclone landfall," Jakhau port officer Vinod Joshi said.
Authorities made elaborate arrangements for post-cyclone relief. Earthmovers, JCBs, water tanks, fuel and every other required thing have been kept on standby and stored here for post-cyclone work. Officials said 522 fishing boats are registered with authorities here at Jakhau Port.
According to Abdulshah Pirjada, president of Jakahu Port Fishermen and Boat Association, around 70 fishing boats were brought on the land using cranes and the remaining have been anchored on the shore. "Our prime fear is that the cyclone will damage boats. I hope that the cyclone will weaken in the sea itself," Pirjada said. Meanwhile, Cyclone Biparjoy has slowed down and is running at a speed of 6 km per hour. The cyclone is traced 210 km from Dwarka and 180 km away from Jakhau.
