Cyclone alert issued for Odisha, Andhra Pradesh
Bhubaneswar, Sep 20 : The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday issued a cyclone alert for Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
The IMD in a statement said a depression over west-central and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours.
"The depression over west-central and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal moved nearly westwards with a speed about 15 kmph in the past six hours. It has intensified into a deep depression and lay centred at about 310 km east-southeast of Kalingapatnam (coastal Andhra Pradesh) and about 300 km east-southeast of Gopalpur (Odisha)," the statement said.
"It is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours. It is very likely to move west-northwestwards and cross south Odisha - north Andhra Pradesh coasts between Kalingapatnam and Puri (Odisha), close to Gopalpur around midnight as a cyclonic storm with wind speed of 60-70 kmph gusting to 80 kmph."
Heavy to very heavy rain was predicted at a few places over Odisha and extremely heavy downpour at isolated places over south Odisha and north coastal Andhra Pradesh.
"Squally wind speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph is very likely along and off Odisha and north Andhra Pradesh coasts. It will gradually increase, becoming 60-70 kmph gusting 80 kmph from today (Thursday) evening for subsequent 12 hours," said the IMD statement.
Damage by the storm was expected in the districts of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh and Gajapati, Ganjam, Khurda, Nayagarh and Puri districts in Odisha.
Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the northwest Bay of Bengal and along and off the Odisha, West Bengal and north Andhra Pradesh coasts.
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Stalin accuses Centre of trying to use women's quota as 'weapon,' slams EPS over delimitation
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has strongly criticised the Centre over the women's reservation and accused it of trying to use it as a "weapon" to tackle the opposition before taking up the delimitation exercise based on population.
"The Union government is not concerned about implementing reservations for women. If their concerns were genuine, they could have done it right away. Rather than doing that, the BJP-led Centre is thinking of using it as a weapon to tackle opposition and take up the delimitation exercise based on population," he told PTI in an interview.
"Hence, the women's reservation must be implemented immediately without showing delimitation as a reason," the DMK president added.
Expressing apprehensions on the proposed delimitation exercise, the CM said it was the DMK that raised the first voice asserting the rights of the state after realising that Tamil Nadu would be affected by the proposed exercise. He also attacked his rival and AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami over the delimitation issue.
Recalling efforts made by the DMK to raise the issue of population-based delimitation, he said an all-party meeting and a meeting of CMs under the auspices of the Joint Action Committee seeking fair delimitation were convened. It sought to freeze delimitation for 25 years and stick to it based on the 1971 Census population.
"We urged the union government that states which successfully implemented population control programmes must not be punished," he added.
The party came up with "Tamil Nadu poradum, Tamil Nadu vellum" (Tamil Nadu will struggle, Tamil Nadu will win) and this is DMK's stand, he said.
"However, Palaniswami, who is seeking votes for the entry of the BJP through the backdoor, has till date been mute over delimitation, and this is a betrayal of the people of Tamil Nadu."
