Having been hit by summer cyclones for three years in a row since 2019, the Odisha government has begun preparing for any such occurrence this season, despite the IMD forecasting no possibility of a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal in a fortnight.According to a senior official, the government has decided to open a round-the-clock control room across the districts beginning May 1 to monitor the situation.The decision was made on Wednesday at a high-level meeting presided over by Chief Secretary P K Jena, during which the state government’s preparedness was reviewed.
Information from Doppler radars installed at Paradeep and Gopalpur was discussed. These two radars will aid in the tracking of any summer cyclones that form over the Bay of Bengal.While Odisha was hit by cyclone Fani in 2019, the state will be hit by cyclones Amphan and Yaas in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Last year, however, there was no such cyclone.While telecom operators have implemented several measures to deal with the devastation caused by cyclones, the state government has asked them to ensure continuous service and send out cyclone updates.