Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has directed all urban local bodies across the state to immediately dismantle decorative gates and arches erected for Durga Puja celebrations and take similar precautionary measures at Lakshmi Puja mandaps in view of the possibility of a cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal.
Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra has instructed all Notified Area Councils (NACs), municipalities and municipal corporations to remove temporary structures that could pose a threat to public safety amid forecasts of strong winds and heavy rainfall.
As part of the precautionary measures, the Kataka district administration has directed the removal of unsafe temporary structures, hoardings and banners within 48 hours, citing the likelihood of heavy to very heavy rainfall and strong winds on October 27 and 28.
The administration has warned that the Kataka Municipal Corporation (CMC) will launch an eviction drive to dismantle the structures if organisers fail to comply with the directive within the stipulated deadline.
In other urban areas of the district, executive officers concerned will oversee the removal of unsafe structures, while tehsildars will coordinate the exercise in rural areas with the assistance of relevant departments.
The order has been issued under Section 34 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The district administration has appealed to puja committees, institutions and organisers to comply with the instructions within the prescribed timeframe to prevent loss of life and damage to property.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a low-pressure area formed over the east-central and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal on Friday. The system intensified into a well-marked low-pressure area by 5.30 am on Saturday.
The weather system is likely to intensify into a depression on Saturday and further develop into a deep depression on October 25. It is subsequently expected to intensify into a cyclonic storm over the west-central Bay of Bengal by the morning of October 26.
The system is likely to move west-northwestwards and intensify further, reaching the west-central Bay of Bengal near the Andhra Pradesh coast around the morning of October 28.
In view of the evolving weather situation, the state government has stepped up precautionary measures, with particular emphasis on removing vulnerable temporary installations that could collapse or be blown away by strong winds.
