Bhubaneswar/Kataka: In view of the threat of a possible cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal, the Odisha government has directed all Notified Area Councils (NACs), municipalities and municipal corporations to immediately remove decorative gates and arches erected for Durga Puja celebrations. 

Similar precautions have been ordered for Lakshmi Puja mandaps to prevent damage and ensure public safety amid forecasts of strong winds and heavy rainfall.

Housing & Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra has instructed urban local bodies to take immediate steps to remove the structures, citing the potential risk posed by high-speed winds and heavy rain associated with the approaching weather system.

The Kataka district administration has also initiated precautionary measures, directing the removal of unsafe temporary structures, hoardings and banners within 48 hours.

Kataka administration issues 48-hour deadline

According to an order issued by the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on October 23, all puja committees, event organisers, commercial establishments and members of the public within the Kataka Municipal Corporation area have been asked to voluntarily remove unsafe temporary torans, decorative gates, flex banners, hoardings and other vulnerable structures near puja mandaps within 48 hours.

The directive comes amid forecasts of heavy to very heavy rainfall and strong winds in Kataka district on October 27 and 28 due to the likely development and movement of a cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal.

The administration has warned that if the structures are not removed within the stipulated period, the CMC will launch an eviction drive to dismantle them.

In other urban areas of Kataka district, the respective executive officers will coordinate the removal of unsafe structures. In rural areas, tehsildars will take necessary action with the assistance of concerned departments.

The order has been issued under Section 34 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The district administration has urged all puja committees, institutions and organisers to comply with the instructions within the deadline to protect lives and property.

Bay of Bengal system likely to intensify into cyclone

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a low-pressure area formed over the east-central Bay of Bengal and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal on Friday. It intensified into a well-marked low-pressure area and lay over the same region at 5.30 am on Saturday.

The weather system is likely to intensify into a depression during Saturday, followed by a deep depression on October 25. It is then expected to develop 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.

With the possibility of strong winds and heavy rainfall, the state government has asked urban local bodies to take precautionary measures, particularly by removing temporary structures that could collapse or become airborne during severe weather.