PM to chair meeting on cyclone ‘Amphan’

PTI, May 18, 2020, 1:34 PM IST

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a high-level meeting Monday afternoon to review the situation arising out of cyclone ‘Amphan’, which is likely to hit the eastern coast.

Union Minister Amit Shah said the Prime Minister’s meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the National Disaster Management Authority will take place at 4 pm.

“To review the arising cyclone situation in various parts of the country, PM @narendramodi ji will chair a high-level meeting with MHA & NDMA, today at 4 pm,” Shah tweeted.

The Prime Minister is the chairman of the NDMA. Cyclonic storm ‘Amphan’ is likely to intensify into a super cyclone by Monday evening and hit the West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts as a very severe cyclone with a wind speed up to 185 km per hour on Wednesday, the Home Ministry earlier said.

In an advisory to West Bengal and Odisha governments, the ministry has said ‘Amphan’ (pronounced as UM-PUN) was spotted on Monday morning over the central parts of South Bay of Bengal and the adjoining central Bay of Bengal.

It has been moving nearly northwards with a speed of 13 kmph during the past six hours and lay centered at 0530 hours IST on Monday.

The storm is very likely to intensify further into a super cyclonic storm by Monday evening.

“It is very likely to cross West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) during the afternoon or evening of May 20 as a very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 155-165 kmph gusting up to 185 kmph,” the official said.