Cyclone 'Ditwah' closes in towards TN coast, CM Stalin reviews preparedness
Chennai (PTI): Cyclone Ditwah was slowly moving closer towards the Tamil Nadu coast and it was likely to bring heavy rainfall, the weather office said on Friday, as the state government reviewed its preparedness to face the second such weather system in a month.
The weather office forecast heavy rains in the southern and Cauvery delta districts of the state, between November 29 and 30.
The name, 'Ditwah', referring to a lagoon, was suggested by Yemen. It is likely named after Detwah Lagoon, a large, saline lagoon on the northwest coast of the island of Socotra in Yemen.
Meanwhile, in view of the adverse weather conditions, noted airliner IndiGo has cancelled several flights operating to and from Jaffna, Puducherry, Tuticorin, and Tiruchirappalli on November 29 (Saturday).
In a social media post on Friday, IndiGo appealed to passengers to check flight status before leaving for the airport.
In a bulletin issued on Friday evening, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the cyclonic storm 'Ditwah' over Sri Lanka coast and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal moved slowly northwards with a speed of 7 kmph during the past 6 hours and lay centred at the same region at 5.30 pm on Friday.
It is located about 270 km south-southeast of Karaikal, 380 km south-southeast of Puducherry and 490 km south-southeast of Chennai, the bulletin said.
Late last month, Cyclone Montha had brought heavy rains in the northern districts of the state.
Chief Minister M K Stalin reviewed the situation.
At the state emergency operations centre, he said, "a red alert (extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours) has been issued for the southern and delta districts."
"I held a video conference with the collectors of the districts where red alerts have been sounded. Already, a meeting of higher officials was convened with senior officials yesterday (Thursday) to issue detailed instructions," he said.
The CM said his government has deployed senior officials in vulnerable districts, and all of them have already reached their assigned areas.
Briefing reporters after taking stock of the situation at the Centre, he said, "I have directed them to remain on high alert, especially in locations badly hit (in the past). They have been instructed to constantly monitor and take steps to prevent any disruption, including snapping of powerlines."
As per the bulletin by the weather office, the cyclone is "very likely to move north-northwestwards across Sri Lanka coast and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal and reach over southwest Bay of Bengal near north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early morning of November 30."
Instructing the departments to work in 'tandem', Stalin ordered the officials to keep stock of essential items, including food, milk and necessary action should be taken to clear floodwater in residential areas.
He noted that 16 state disaster response forces and 12 NDRF teams have been deployed in districts expecting heavy rainfall.
Asked if Chennai would be impacted, Stalin replied that the city is expected to receive heavy rainfall. "They (Meteorological department) warned of heavy rain in Chennai as well."
Detailing the measures taken by the government, he said, "Camps have been readied with food and essential supplies. Orders have also been issued for the immediate evacuation of people from low-lying areas."
To another query, he said, "Ministers in charge have reached the districts and are continuously monitoring the situation. "
Meanwhile, airport sources said flight services operated by IndiGo on various routes in the domestic sector have been impacted due to the cyclone. In a social media post on Friday evening, IndiGo said, "Due to the prevailing cyclonic conditions and heavy rainfall associated with Cyclone Ditwah, flights to and from Jaffna, Puducherry, Tuticorin and Trichy may experience disruptions."
If their flight is impacted, passengers can easily explore alternative travel options or claim a refund, the airline said.
On the measures taken by the health department in view of the Cyclone, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian said the health department has been instructed to ensure medical teams are available round the clock in all government hospitals, in view of the heavy rainfall forecast.
"Steps have also been taken to ensure uninterrupted power supply in all hospitals in view of the heavy rainfall", he told reporters.
In its warning to fishermen, the weather office said rough to very rough sea conditions are prevailing. "It is likely to become very rough to high sea conditions till November 30. From December 1, it is likely to improve gradually," it said.
The Southern Railway said in view of wind velocity on Pamban Bridge recording 58 kmph, it cancelled the Rameswaram-Okha Express to be operated on Friday night.
The origin of as many as 11 trains operated in the Rameswaram-Chennai sector has been changed to Mandapam, Ramanathapuram, Ucchippuli due to cyclone over the next two days, Southern Railway said.
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RBI does not target any band for rupee, allows it to find its own level: Guv Malhotra
Mumbai (PTI): Reserve Bank Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Friday said the central bank does not target any band for the rupee in the forex market, and allows the domestic currency to find its own correct level.
The governor's statement came at a time when the rupee breached the 90-mark against the US dollar, and is hovering near that level.
"We don't target any price levels or any bands. We allow the markets to determine the prices. We believe that markets, especially in the long run, are very efficient. It's a very deep market," he said while replying to a question on rupee depreciation at a post-monetary policy press meet.
Malhotra said fluctuations in the market keep taking place, and the effort of the RBI is always to reduce any abnormal or excessive volatility.
"And that is what we will continue to endeavour," he added.
In its bi-monthly monetary policy, the RBI announced three-year USD/INR Buy Sell swaps of USD 5 billion this month.
When asked if the USD-INR swap is aimed at checking rupee depreciation, Malhotra said, "It is a liquidity measure. It is not to support the rupee".
Stressing that RBI does not target any level of rupee against the US dollar, he said the central bank allows "the rupee find its correct position, correct level".
The governor further said the country has sufficient foreign exchange reserves and the current account is manageable, and given the strong fundamentals of the economy, the country should witness good capital flows going forward.
Foreign portfolio investment (FPI) to India recorded a net outflow of USD 0.7 billion in 2025-26, so far (April-December 03), due to unabated withdrawal from the equity segment.
Flows under external commercial borrowings and non-resident deposit accounts moderated compared to the last year.
As of November 28, 2025, India's foreign exchange reserves stood at USD 686.2 billion, providing a robust import cover of more than 11 months.
The governor further said that, having reduced the policy rate (repo) by 25 basis points, the focus will now be on transmission of the rate cut to the real economy.
According to the RBI's November bulletin, the depreciation of the rupee in October was due to a stronger dollar, following the US Fed's policy announcement to lower the Federal funds rate.
Nevertheless, strong fundamentals, such as stable inflation, a resilient growth outlook for the Indian economy, a narrower current account deficit, steady services exports, robust private remittances, and robust foreign exchange reserves, have contributed to the rupee being the least volatile among emerging market and developing economies.
The rupee has performed better than the Euro, and its depreciation has been in line with that of other currencies, such as the Japanese Yen and the Korean Won (for April to November 2025-26).
The central bank has announced various measures over the last 3 years to diversify and expand the sources of foreign exchange funding, aiming to mitigate exchange rate volatility and dampen global spillovers.
The RBI bi-monthly policy in October had announced some measures to enhance the use of the rupee in international trade.
