Nearly 50,000 people living in coastal areas of south Gujarat and some 4,000 residents of the neighbouring Union Territory of Daman have so far been shifted to safer places, officials said on Wednesday.
Police have been deployed on all the beaches in Gujarat's coastal belt and people have been asked to remain indoors, they said.
"As many as 50,000 living near the coastline in South Gujarat have already been shifted to safer places while work is in progress to evacuate more people," Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue, Pankaj Kumar said.
While the cyclone is expected to cross the state coast in the afternoon, light rain started in most parts of Valsad and Navsari districts since morning.
As a precautionary measure, about 236 large hoardings and 120 high mast lights have been removed from Surat, Valsad and other towns of coastal region, Kumar said. “Around 250 ambulances and 170 emergency medical teams have been kept on stand-by in the South Gujarat region to address any eventuality.”
Besides, some 4,000 people living close to the sea shore in the adjoining Union Territory of Daman have also been shifted to safer places," another official said.
(Source: PTI)