Cyclone Montha: Rain, landslides damage roads, bridge and houses in Odisha
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Bhubaneswar (PTI): Several parts of Odisha on Wednesday experienced light to moderate rain as the severe cyclonic storm Montha weakened into a deep depression and caused landslides, damaging roads, bridges and houses in southern districts, officials said.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari thanked Lord Jagannath as the severe cyclonic storm slightly changed its anticipated landfall place in Andhra Pradesh coast at a distance of about 300 kilometer from Odisha’s Malkangiri district.
“The change in the cyclone’s trajectory spared Odisha from severe devastation. Cyclone Montha changed its course and touched land near Amalapuram instead of Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, reducing the potential impact on Odisha. Kakinada is about 200 kilometres from Malkangiri,” Pujari told reporters after taking stock of the situation.
The minister said that the state government had made preparations keeping in view the IMD forecast and was prepared to face the eventuality.
Replying to a question on the change of expected landfall place, Dr Manorama Mohanty, the director of the Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre, said, “The cyclone’s landfall has occurred within the areas of the cone of uncertainty. There has been no deviation. However, many scientific factors are there for a slight change in the trajectory of the system.”
The 'cone of uncertainty' is the projected path and intensity of a storm.
Meanwhile, in a revised forecast, the IMD issued a ‘yellow alert’ for five southern Odisha districts - Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Kalahandi and Nabarangpur – that is likely to experience heavy rain. Earlier, the Met Office had said the region would face extremely heavy rainfall and issued a ‘red alert’ (meaning: take action).
The IMD revised the forecast considering the movement of the system which has so far weakened into a deep depression.
“We have issued a 'yellow' warning (be aware) of heavy rainfall, very likely to occur at isolated places in Ganjam, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Gajpati, Kalahandi, and Nawarangpur districts,” said Mohanty, said.
While briefing the media, Pujari recalled the 1999 super cyclone that hit Odisha on this day, October 29, and left around 10,000 people dead.
“We are encountering a similar cyclone situation on October 29, 2025, but there has been no report of any human casualty so far,” the minister said, adding that the cyclone preparedness measures were made remembering the 1999 super cyclone incident.
Pujari, however, said that there have been reports of house collapse, tree falling, landslide and damage of roads and others. He informed reporters that Cyclone Montha has impacted people in 33 blocks and 11 urban local bodies in Odisha.
A total of 2,198 pregnant women were shifted to safer locations as part of the state’s evacuation efforts, he said.
He said the government opened as many as 362 free kitchens where cooked food was provided to 18,762 people, staying at the cyclone centres.
The minister said that there is also no fear from rains as the amount of rainfall was less than 200 mm. Gosani block in Gajapati district recorded the highest rainfall of around 150 mm followed by Patrapur in Ganjam at 117.4 mm, while 56 other blocks experienced rainfall ranging between 50 mm and 100 mm.
While stating that wind speed was also manageable, the minister said that a few places in Ganjam, Gajapati, Balasore and some other districts experienced power outage, which was restored within hours due to pre-planning and preparations. Roads blocked by uprooted trees were also immediately cleared. A total of 33 ODRAF, 5 NDRF and 13 Fire Services teams were deployed for rescue and restoration work, he said.
The minister, however, said that Odisha will remain on high alert till October 31 as the rain warning continues.
“Damage assessment of crop, houses, roads, and other public infrastructure will begin from tomorrow,” he said, adding that there are reports of damage to paddy, cotton and vegetable crops.
The affected people will be provided assistance as per the norm directly to their bank accounts. Polythene sheets have been distributed to households whose walls were damaged in the calamity, the minister said.
He said normalcy will be restored across the state by October 31.
Tata Power Southern Odisha Distribution Limited, in a statement, said the company has successfully restored electricity supply to more than 9.50 lakh consumers out of the 9.88 lakh affected, within just 18 hours of the cyclone’s peak impact.
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Deep societal faultlines persist despite 75 years of independence: Justice Ujjal Bhuyan
Judge cites denial of home to Muslim girl, opposition to Dalit women cooking mid-day meals
Hyderabad, February 23, 2026: Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan has said that despite repeated affirmations of constitutional morality by courts, deep societal faultlines rooted in caste and religious discrimination continue to shape everyday realities in India.
Speaking at a seminar on “Constitutional Morality and the Role of District Judiciary” organised by the Telangana Judges Association and the Telangana State Judicial Academy in Hyderabad, Justice Bhuyan reflected on the gap between constitutional ideals and social practices.
He cited a recent instance involving his daughter’s friend, a PhD scholar at a private university in Noida, who was denied accommodation in South Delhi after her surname revealed her Muslim identity. According to Justice Bhuyan, the landlady bluntly informed her that no accommodation was available once her religious background became known.
In another example from Odisha, he referred to resistance by some parents to the government’s mid-day meal programme because the food was prepared by Dalit women employed as cooks. He noted that some parents had objected aggressively and refused to allow their children to consume meals cooked by members of the Scheduled Caste community.
Describing these incidents as “the tip of the iceberg,” Justice Bhuyan said they reveal how far society remains from the benchmark of constitutional morality even 75 years into the Republic. He observed that while the Constitution lays down standards of equality and dignity, the morality practised within homes and communities often diverges sharply from those values.
He emphasised that constitutional morality requires governance through the rule of law rather than the rule of popular opinion. Referring to the evolution of the doctrine through judicial decisions, he cited Naz Foundation v Union of India, in which the Delhi High Court read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, holding that popular morality cannot restrict fundamental rights under Article 21. Though the judgment was later overturned in Suresh Kumar Koushal v Naz Foundation, the Supreme Court ultimately restored and expanded the principle in Navtej Singh Johar v Union of India, affirming that constitutional morality must prevail over majoritarian views.
“In our constitutional scheme, it is the constitutionality of the issue before the court that is relevant, not the dominant or popular view,” he said.
Justice Bhuyan also addressed the functioning of the district judiciary, underlining that trial courts are the first point of contact for most litigants and form the foundation of the justice delivery system. He stressed that due importance must be given to the recording of evidence and adjudication of bail matters.
Highlighting the role of High Courts, he said their supervisory jurisdiction under Article 227 of the Constitution is intended as a shield to correct grave jurisdictional errors, not as a mechanism to substitute the discretion or factual appreciation of trial judges.
He recalled that several distinguished judges, including Justice H R Khanna, Justice A M Ahmadi, and Justice Fathima Beevi, began their careers in the district judiciary.
On representation within the judicial system, Justice Bhuyan noted that Telangana has made significant strides in gender inclusion. Out of a sanctioned strength of 655 judicial officers in the Telangana Judicial Service, 478 are currently serving, of whom 283 are women, exceeding 50 per cent representation. He added that members of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minority communities, and persons with disabilities are also represented in the state’s judiciary.
He observed that greater representation of women, marginalised communities, persons with disabilities, and sexual minorities would help make the judiciary more inclusive and reflective of India’s diversity. “The judiciary must represent all the colours of the rainbow and become a rainbow institution,” he said.
Justice Bhuyan also referred to the recent restoration by the Supreme Court of the requirement of a minimum three years of practice at the Bar for entry-level judicial posts. While acknowledging that the requirement ensures practical exposure, he cautioned that its impact on women aspirants, especially those from rural or small-town backgrounds facing social and financial constraints, would need to be carefully observed over time.
Concluding his address, he reiterated that the justice system must strive to bridge the gap between constitutional ideals and lived realities, ensuring that the rule of law remains paramount.
