NE NEWS SERVICE
PUDUCHERRY, NOV 25
As cyclone Nivar approaches, the Puducherry government on Wednesday said the administrative machinery is fully geared up to meet any exigency, while Chief Minister V Narayanasamy visited coastal villages to monitor steps taken to ensure the safety of fishermen community.
HCM Shri. @VNarayanasami took site inspection on the Coastal villages at Raj Bhavan & Muthialpet Constituencies and given instructions to the Line Department Officers for safety of the Human life ,Animals and Properties like boat, net, engine etc. #Puducherry pic.twitter.com/rAySk52d3H
— Office of Ex CM V Narayanasamy (@ExcmPuducherry) November 25, 2020
The union territory has been experiencing intermittent moderate rains since Tuesday night under the influence of the cyclonic storm.
The entire beach road has been closed and police have been deployed to ensure that there were no visitors at the sea shore. Addressing media, Narayanasamy said cyclone ”Nivar” was likely to hit the coast late in the night. He asked the fishermen to keep their vessels in safe places. “Where the boats could not be immediately brought to the sheds, the department of fisheries would use cranes to lift the boats to the safer sheds,” he said.
A team of 100 personnel attached to the Chennai based Integrated Defence Staff of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief had arrived in Puducherry. The staff of Fire Service, PWD and Forest Department would assist the defence staff in their works, an official said.
Meanwhile, all the fishermen from Puducherry, who had gone fishing a few days ago had returned safely. As far as Karaikal region was concerned 10 out of 100 boats were yet to return to the shore. “We are establishing contact with them and it is likely that these ten boats carrying around 60 fishermen would come back either to Karaikal later in the day or move to neighbouring Nagapattinam district,” he added.
According to official sources, PWD Minister A Namassivayam, Welfare Minister M Kandasamy were camping in different villages in Puducherry region while Agriculture Minister R Kamalakannan was overseeing the steps taken by the government in villages in Karaikal which is also in the picture of cyclonic weather. People living in low lying areas or residing close to the sea shore were being evacuated to safer places or to relief camps.
A total of 200 relief camps have been established in the whole of Puducherry region with basic amenities, including food. All those accommodated in the relief camps were subjected to tests for Covid-19, the sources said.