Cyclone Vayu to hit Gujarat Thursday afternoon; three lakh people evacuated
Ahmedabad, Jun 12: As Cyclone Vayu advances towards the Gujarat coast and is expected to make landfall Thursday afternoon, the state government has shifted around three lakh people from low-lying areas of Saurashtra and Kutch regions, officials said Wednesday.
According to the latest weather report, the cyclone has intensified into a "very severe cyclonic storm" and changed its course slightly. Now, it would hit the Gujarat coast anywhere between Veraval in the south and Dwarka in the west Thursday afternoon.
The cyclone is now located around 200 km south, south-west of Veraval and "is very likely to move nearly northwards and hit the Gujarat coast with wind speed of 155 to 165 kmph gusting to 180 kmph around afternoon of June 13," a release issued by the MeT department said.
"Gujarat has evacuated about 3 lakh people and Diu has evacuated over 10,000 people from low-lying areas to safer places. Indian Coast Guard, Navy, Army & Air Force units have also been put on standby. Aircraft and helicopters are carrying out aerial surveillance," Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted.
The Airports Authority of India announced that flight operations will remain suspended at five airports in Gujarat for 24 hours from midnight Wednesday to minimise the damage to airport infrastructure and to avoid inconvenience to passengers due to the cyclone.
State Relief director M R Kothari said, "The evacuation process, which was started today morning, is nearing its end. Our target is to shift around three lakh people to safer places".
After making landfall, the cyclone "is likely to move along and parallel to Saurashtra and Kutch coast", the Met department said.
The state government said the cyclone is likely to affect Kutch, Morbi, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Devbhoomi-Dwarka, Porbandar, Rajkot, Amreli, Bhavnagar and Gir-Somnath districts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday advised people in his home state to follow real-time information being given by local agencies to stay safe.
"Praying for safety and well-being of all those affected by Cyclone Vayu. The government and local agencies are providing real-time information, which I urge those in affected areas to closely follow," Modi tweeted.
After a review meeting with officials this afternoon, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said around three lakh people living in low-lying areas of these 10 districts will be shifted to safer places. He also appealed to people to cooperate in the evacuation process so that there is no loss of life.
The Coast Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force and the Border Security Force have been put on high alert.
While the state government has said all fishermen and their boats have already returned to the shore after getting the warning, ports have been asked to hoist storm warning signal number 8 and 9 to convey "great danger".
Based on the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) advice, Great Danger 8 (GD-8) signal has been hoisted at Porbandar and Okha ports, while GD-9 signal has been hoisted at Diu, Veraval, Navlakhi, New-Kandla, Sikka, Mundra, Madvi and Jakhau ports.
Briefing the media about preparations to deal with the cyclone, Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue, Pankaj Kumar said police would do night patrolling in vulnerable areas to make sure no one is left behind.
"Our aim is to ensure zero casualty. We appeal to outsiders to refrain from visiting vulnerable areas near the coast. We have deployed 33 teams, each having 90 to 100 personnel, of National Disaster Response Force and nine teams of State Disaster Response Force in these 10 districts," he said.
In addition, 11 columns of Army, two companies of BSF, 14 companies of State Reserve Police and 300 commandos of state marine police were also deployed at different locations in Kutch and Saurashtra region, the officer added.
A defence release said the Army has allotted 24 columns on standby and is ready to carry out any rescue and relief operations. Each column has a strength of about 70 people from infantry/artillery, signal, engineers and Army medical corps.
It further informed that ships and aircraft of this region were dispersed at various places to enable search and rescue readiness post landfall of cyclone.
Holiday has been declared in schools, colleges and 'anganwadis' on Wednesday and Thursday in these 10 districts, he said.
As a precautionary measure, the Indian Railways has announced that all the trains for this region have been either short-terminated or cancelled for two days, starting 6 pm Wednesday.
"The state government has decided to suspend operations at all the ports situated on Gujarat's coast. As a precautionary measure, all the airports in Saurashtra region will remain shut till the cyclone recedes. Bus services to pilgrimage sites in that region have also been cancelled," Rupani said after the review meet in Gandhinagar.
In a release, the Western Railway said it has cancelled trains going towards Kutch and Saurashtra region for two days.
To help authorities in relief and rescue work, the railways has kept special trains ready for deployment in those areas after the cyclone makes landfall.
"Special trains with six to 10 coaches each will be formed, to be kept in ready condition at the nearest safe location to be moved in emergency conditions," the release said.
Since all the airports in Kutch and Saurashtra region have been asked to shut their operations completely, flights to these destinations from Ahmedabad Airport stand cancelled for Thursday.
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Rajnath, Shah, other Union ministers change social media profile photos to 'Op Sindoor' logo
New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and other top ministers on Thursday changed the display pictures on their social media profiles to mark the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor following a call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The prime minister, earlier in the day, shared a digital poster depicting the now widely recognised logo of Operation Sindoor and urged others to do the same as a mark of respect to the armed forces.
Operation Sindoor was launched in response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, with Indian forces conducting precision strikes on multiple terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK).
After launching the military operation, the Indian Army, in a post on X, at 1:51 am on May 7 had said, "Justice is served. Jai Hind!"
On its first anniversary, the Indian military on Thursday said, Operation Sindoor -- "precise in action, eternal in memory" -- reflected the country's determination to defend its sovereignty with courage, coordination and strength.
The Army, the Navy, the Indian Air Force, the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) and the defence ministry also updated the display pictures on their social media profiles to mark the anniversary.
Defence Minister Singh, while updating his profile photo on X, said Operation Sindoor stands as a "powerful symbol" of national resolve and preparedness, and that their actions reflected unmatched precision, and set a "benchmark" for modern military operations.
"On the anniversary of Operation Sindoor, we salute the valour and sacrifices of our armed forces, whose courage and dedication continue to safeguard the nation. Their actions during the operation reflected unmatched precision, seamless jointness and deep synergy across services, setting a benchmark for modern military operations," he wrote.
"Operation Sindoor stands as a powerful symbol of national resolve and preparedness, showing that our armed forces are always ready to act decisively when it matters most. It also stands testament to India’s steady advance towards achieving #Atmanirbharta, enhancing capability while reinforcing resilience," he added.
The Ministry of External Affairs, led by its minister Jaishankar, also marked the anniversary, and reasserted and amplified India's diplomatic stand on this operation.
"A year ago, #OperationSindoor demonstrated the nation's resolve to defend itself against cross-border terrorism from Pakistan. With its decisive actions, India ensured accountability for terrorist actions. And underlined that such a serious threat to peace and security will be effectively countered. Under the leadership of PM @narendramodi, India stands strong and determined to convey a message of zero tolerance for terrorism," the EAM posted on X.
Earlier in a separate post, Jaishankar too changed his profile picture and posted an image of the Operation Sindoor logo on the timeline.
Home Minister Shah, in a post on X, said, "Operation Sindoor stands as an epochal mission of India that will always remind our enemies of the infallible striking power of our armed forces."
After Indian forces had launched the operation in the early hours of May 7, Pakistan later also launched offensives against India, and all subsequent counter-offensives by India were also carried out under Operation Sindoor.
The military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, lasting nearly 88 hours, halted after they reached an understanding on the evening of May 10.
Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav, Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi and Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil too updated their profile photos.
The Indian Army in an early morning post wrote, "#OperationSindoor India's resolute response calibrated and precise. Committed to safeguarding sovereignty and its people. #JusticeServed Jai Hind".
It also shared a video clip encapsulating the circumstances that led to the decisive military action in the early hours of May 7 last year, as well as some footage offering a glimpse to the military might of India.
"India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers," PM Modi had earlier said in his address, whose excerpt is part of the widely shared clip.
Recalling the military action launched on the intervening night of May 6-7, the Indian Air Force put out the anniversary post on X at 1:05 AM.
"Operation Sindoor Justice served. Precise in action, eternal in memory-Operation Sindoor continues. India forgets nothing-India forgives nothing. #operation #Sindoor #operationsindoor #IAF," the IAF posted.
The Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) also posted the anniversary message at 1:05 AM, saying, "Symbol of national resolve #OpSindoor JAI HIND #OpSindoor #indianarmedforces #NationalSecurity".
The Indian embassies in the US, the UK, Spain, France, Germany and Italy also updated their display pictures on their social media profiles.
The embassies in France, Germany, Spain and Italy posted on X in French, German and Italian, amplifying the message of the Indian leadership on Operation Sindoor's anniversary in the respective countries.
The Indian Embassy in the UK posted on X, "One year of #OperationSindoor A tribute to India’s resolve, unity, and unwavering stand against terrorism. Saluting the courage and sacrifice of our armed forces who protect the nation with pride and honor. #OpSindoor #IndiaAgainstTerrorism #IndianArmedForces #NationalSecurity #IndiaFirst #SaluteOurForces #JaiHind #OperationSindoorContinues".
The Indian embassy in Israel also changed its profile photo on X and reposted PM Modi's post, and the X account of the embassy in Iran too changed the display picture to the logo of Operation Sindoor.
The Indian Navy in an early morning post on X said Operation Sindoor reflected India's determination to defend its sovereignty with courage and strength.
"Nation's Resolve. Forces United In moments that test a nation's will, the Indian Defence Forces stand united - resolute in purpose, precise in action and unwavering in commitment. #OperationSindoor reflects India's determination to defend its sovereignty with courage, coordination and strength. #OpSindoor #NationFirst #IndianNavy @HQ_IDS_India @adgpi @IAF_MCC," the Navy posted and changed its profile photo.
