Severe cyclonic storm 'Gaja' makes landfall in Tamil Nadu
Nagapattinam/Chennai (TN), Nov 16 : Rain lashed coastal regions of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry as the severe cyclonic storm 'Gaja' crossed the state's coast between Nagapattinam and nearby Vedaranniyam early Friday with wind speed gusting up to 120 kmph.
As the cyclone's landfall began, coastal towns including Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thondi and Pamban in Tamil Nadu and Karaikkal and Puducherry received rainfall ranging between 3 cm and 8 cm.
Cuddalore received 8 cm, Nagapattinam 5 cm and neighbouring Puducherry and Karaikkal 5 cm each up to 5.30 am Friday, according to a MeT official in Chennai.
Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority said those in the relief centres went up to 81,948 in 471 relief centres at , Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur, Pudukottai and Tiruvarur from 76,290 people who were evacuated from low lying areas.
According to Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority, as many as 81,948 people were evacuated from low lying areas and sheltered in 471 relief centres in six districts Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Ramanathapuram and Tiruvarur.
A holiday has been declared for educational institutions in Nagapattinam district.
An India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin said, "severe cyclonic storm 'Gaja' crossed Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coast between Nagapattinam and Vedaranniyam ...with wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting up to 120 kmph, early Friday."
Though the center of cyclone entered land early Friday, it took about two hours more for the rear sector of eye wall to enter the land region.
"Entire eye wall region lies over land. Maximum wind speed was reported at Athiramapattinam 117 kmph followed by Nagapattinam 100 kmph and Karaikkal 83 kmph," the latest bulletin said.
The severe cyclonic storm is very likely to move nearly westwards and weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm Friday.
Due to heavy wind during the cyclone's landfall, trees, high mast lamps and some power poles in locations including Vedaranyam, Mannargudi, Irulneeki at Tiruvarur District got uprooted. Uprooted trees have fallen on the roads which are being removed by civic workers.
Electricity supply was disconnected here and in several other coastal regions in view of the cyclone's landfall, officials said. Revenue Minister R B Udaya Kumar told reporters that the government has tackled the cyclone situation successfully.
"This was a challenging task...we are confident that we have faced it safely 100 per cent" he said, adding all post-cyclone tasks like cleaning up storm affected areas has begun.
The government has got inputs of damage to houses and other properties and the extent of damage will be evaluated, he said.
Four teams each of National Disaster Response Force personnel have been already deployed in Nagapattinam district while two teams of the state disaster response force in Cuddalore district, officials had said Thursday.
The state disaster management authority had released an animated video aimed at creating awareness on the do's and don'ts during cyclone.
The government had also announced helpline numbers 1070 (state-level) and 1077 (districts) for those who may need assistance.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
