Cyclone Montha: Landfall under way near Andhra coast; overnight curfew on vehicular movements imposed - top developments

NEW DELHI: Cyclone Montha's landfall process near Andhra coast began late Tuesday evening, and is set to continue for three-four hours, the IMD said. As the cyclone is expected to cross the coast around 11.30pm, an overnight ban on vehicular movements has been imposed in affected areas."Latest observations indicate that the landfall process has commenced. The landfall process will continue for (the) next three to four hours," it said.The system is expected to make landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast — between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada — within the next three to four hours as a severe cyclonic storm, with sustained winds of 90–100 kmph and gusts reaching 110 kmph, the forecast said.Top developments:

Night curfew on vehicular movements in Andhra

The Andhra government has imposed a night curfew on vehicular movements in cyclone-affected districts from 8.30pm to 6 am on Wednesday."The cyclone’s impact will be severe in Krishna, Eluru, East Godavari, West Godavari, Kakinada, and Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema districts, including the revenue divisions of Chinturu and Rampachodavaram in Alluri Sitarama Raju district," PTI reported quoting an official release."In this context, the state government has ordered the suspension of vehicle movement in these seven districts from 8.30 pm until 6 am tomorrow," it added.

Several flights cancelled; authorities on alert

More than 35 flights has been canceled between Telangana’s Shamshabad and the Andhra Pradesh airports of Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Rajahmundry, according to GMR Airports. The cancellations include 30 IndiGo flights, two operated by Air India, and five by Air India Express.Authorities have shut down the beach road connecting Kakinada and Uppada after an 8-kilometre stretch was damaged earlier this morning, aiming to prevent any potential accidents. In neighbouring Odisha, around 50 fishing boats from Andhra Pradesh have been forced to remain docked at Gopalpur port in Ganjam district, as rough conditions from Cyclone Montha have made it unsafe for them to sail back.

Over 800 relief centres set up in Andhra; 2000 in Odisha

The Andhra Pradesh government has set up over 800 relief centres and moved pregnant women to hospitals as a precautionary measure amid Cyclone Montha's landfall.The government has also deployed National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams in Kakinada district.

To ensure 24-hour power in the area,1000 electricians have been stationed in the area while 140 swimmers with boats are also deployed in case of any eventuality, ANI cited Kakinada MP Uday Srinivas Tangella saying.Moreover, Odisha set up over 2,000 disaster relief centres across eight southern districts expected to face the brunt of the storm. So far, 11,396 people have already taken shelter in these facilities, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi said.