Cyclone Amphan: Over 3 lakh people moved to relief shelters, says Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has stated that more than three lakh people have been evacuated from coastal areas of the state in order to prevent loss of human life due to Cyclone Amphan. She stated that all steps had been taken in order to ensure minimal damage.

READ: Power, Telecom Ministry Lay Down Plan Of Action, Control Room To Deal With Cyclone Amphan

State ready to deal with Amphan

"All precautionary measures are taken to deal with any eventuality arising out of the super cyclone. I had a word with Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding it. At least three lakh people have been evacuated from three coastal districts of the state and moved to relief shelters," she said in a press conference.

'Amphan' is expected to cross West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts between Digha in West Bengal and Hatiya islands in Bangladesh on May 20 as a very severe cyclonic storm after losing some steam as it approaches landfall with a maximum sustained wind speed of 155 to 165 kmph gusting to 180 mph. The meteorological department, which has issued an "orange message" for West Bengal, has warned of extensive damage in Kolkata, Hooghly, Howrah, South and North 24 Parganas and East Midnapore districts.

READ: Cyclone Amphan: Indian Oil Refinery, Haldia Petrochem Plant Put On High Alert

Earlier in the day, Union Power and Telecommunications Ministry stated that they are ready with a plan to deal with Cyclone Amphan and have been ensuring that all contingencies are in place. The latter has been dealing with private telecom service providers and power generators and distributors to ensure that the damage is minimal.

"Telecom cables, antennas and towers get damaged during a cyclone as strong as this. telecom service providers have been asked to arrange a sufficient number of generator sets with enough diesel and station them in all districts so that if there is any power disruption, then the towers can be restarted with the help of these gen-sets. Spare parts, optical fibre cables will be kept in adequate quantity, fault repair teams to do prompt repair," said Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash in a press conference on Tuesday. 

READ: IMD Predicts Cyclone Amphan To Cross Bengal Coast On Wednesday, Extensive Damage Expected

Meanwhile, SKG Rahate, Secretary, Ministry of Power said that emergency restoration systems have been set up to handle power disruptions in both Odisha and West Bengal. "24x7 control room operational is in Kolkata, Bhubaneshwar and Power Grid HQ... Transmission lines and sub-stations situated in high impact areas of Amphan have been identified and placed on high alert. Required restoration system has been put in place at identified locations. Required assistance will be given to state power utilities," he said.

READ: Cyclone Amphan: Odisha To Broadcast SMS Based Alert System, Siren In Place For Evacuation