Over 17,000 people evacuated as cyclone Nilofar nears Guj

More than 17,000 people living near the coastal areas in Gujarat have been evacuated by authorities in view of the approaching tropical cyclone Nilofar which, however, has gradually weakened and is expected to hit the state merely as a "depression".

"So far, we have shifted 17,372 people from Kutch and Jamnagar district to safer places. Since the cyclone is expected to cross Kutch tomorrow, majority of the evacuees are from that district.

"The remaining 235 people are from the coastal parts of Jamnagar," Gujarat State Relief Commissioner DN Pandey said today.

"Although the system has weakened, we do not wish to take any chances. Today, we shifted 8,646 villagers living in the coastal regions of Kutch, such as Naliya, Mundra, Gandhidham, Anjar and Jakhau, to safer places. We are also taking steps to alert people living in low-lying areas," said Kutch Collector Mahendra Patel.

The regional, district and station disaster management committee of the Coast Guard is on high alert to meet any eventuality in co-ordination with the state disaster management committee, it said.

As per the MeT bulletin, cyclone Nilofar has moved east-north eastwards during the past six hours and currently lays centered about 620 km west-southwest of Naliya in the Kutch district.

Cyclone Nilofar is expected to move northwestwards and rapidly weaken into a "depression" over the northeast Arabian Sea off North Gujarat coast by October 31 evening, it said.