One killed as cyclone ‘Phethai’ barrels through coastal Andhra Pradesh
Amaravati, Dec 17 : Cyclone Phethai barrelled through coastal Andhra Pradesh on Monday, triggering heavy rains, uprooting trees and electric poles, and claiming one life, officials said.
Train and air services were also disrupted because of the cyclone.
East Godavari district bore the brunt of the storm as it made landfall near Katrenikona in the afternoon, forcing evacuation of 20,000 people, who have been sheltered in relief camps.
Howling winds that gusted up to 85-90 kmph uprooted electric poles and trees in Katrenikona, Tallarevu and Malkipuram in East Godavari, disrupting power supply. No casualties were, however, reported.
A man named R Durga Rao aged 28 was killed when a loosened soil hurtled down a hillock following heavy rains in Vijayawada city, according to sources in the state's Disaster Management Authority.
Krishna district Collector B Lakshmi Kantham announced an immediate relief of Rs 50,000 to the deceased's family.
Deputy Chief Minister (Home) N China Rajappa is camping at Bhairavapalem village in East Godavari district to oversee relief and rescue operations.
The Real-Time Governance Centre (RTGS) at the state secretariat said 'Phethai' weakened into a cyclone after making landfall. It moved towards Kakinada, hitting the town with downpour, before rolling towards Visakhapatnam district, officials said.
Chief Executive Officer of the RTGS Babu Ahamed said pracautionary steps taken by the authorities had minimised damage to life and property.
He said trees were uprooted in some 20 places and rescue teams had cleared the debris in 15.
Spare electric poles were kept ready, he said.
The South Central Railway cancelled and rescheduled several trains, while air traffic to and from the port city of Visakhapatnam was hit by turbulent weather conditions. Some flights had to be cancelled or diverted to Hyderabad.
Over 20 express and passenger trains were cancelled, SCR's chief public relations officer M Uma Shankar Kumar said.
An Indigo flight from Bengaluru that was to land in Visakhapatnam on Monday morning was diverted to Hyderabad.
An Indian Airlines flight on way to Visakhapatnam from Hyderabad was sent back, while an Indigo flight from New Delhi was diverted to Telangana capital, according to Visakhapatnam airport director.
A Hyderabad-Visakhapatnam Spicejet flight was cancelled while several others of different airliners were rescheduled.
Educational institutions were closed in coastal districts as a precautionary measure.
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Doctorate recipient boycotts Governor Ravi, receives degree in TN varsity event from VC
Tirunelveli, Aug 13 (PTI): A woman recipient of a doctorate boycotted Governor R N Ravi in the convocation ceremony held here on Wednesday by Manonmaniam Sundaranar University.
While varsity top officials including Vice Chancellor N Chandrasekar stood near the Governor on the dais, recipients of degrees arrived on the dais one by one and they gave their certificates to Ravi, posed for photographs and received the degree from him.
However, a recipient of a doctorate, who later identified herself as Jean Rajan walked past Ravi, gave her degree to Chandrasekar and received it from him.
Governor Ravi, even before Rajan moved away from him, gestured her to stand beside him and take her degree. However, she apparently ignored the gesture.
Speaking to reporters, Rajan demanded to know what has the governor done for the state. She said it was her degree and it was hence, her choice to decide from whom she should receive it.
She alleged the Governor worked against "Tamil and Tamil Nadu" and it was annoying and hence, she did not wish to receive her degree from him.
Though the VC told her on the dais to receive her degree from Governor, she was not inclined to do that. Jean Rajan said she worked for a company in Nagercoil as a senior manager.
She said she believed in the "Dravidian model" and her decision was based on that. Reportedly, Jean Rajan’s husband is an office-bearer of the ruling DMK in Nagercoil town.
Varsity officials including Registrar J Sacratees took part in the function.
Ph.D. scholar Jean Joseph refuses to receive her degree from #TamilNadu Governor #RNRavi during the 32nd convocation of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University held on Wednesday. Instead, she received the degree from Vice Chancellor N. Chandrasekar.
— The Hindu (@the_hindu) August 13, 2025
"As the Governor is working against… pic.twitter.com/aG2YzOdCPL
