Bhubaneswar: Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has made arrangements to operate 130 temporary cyclone shelters across the city from today. The civic body has also made arrangements for evacuation of more than 50000 people.
BMC will provide free kitchen at the cyclone shelters along with adequate lighting, safe drinking water, habitable rooms, and power backup with standby generators while sanitation teams will oversee toilets and cleanliness in each cyclone shelters.
BMC officials said that as many as 40 vulnerable and low-lying pockets have been identified in the city and plan has been chalked out to pre-position pump sets in coordination with Odisha Fire Services. BMC has pre-positioned 19 pump sets in vulnerable points by Thursday evening.
Besides emergency clearance and de-silting of major 10 drainage channels and major drains across the city were conducted by the Engineering and Drainage Divisions. Sandbags have also been placed in vulnerable points near Salia Sahi to prevent the possible waterlogging situation.
Earlier in the day, a meeting was held at BMC Conference Hall chaired by Vice-Chairman Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) Balwant Singh. BMC Commissioner Samarth Verma and senior officials of state and city agencies also attended and the meeting and discussed in details the roles and responsibilities of the sector officers, shelter heads, ward officers and community organisers for smooth management of the cyclone shelters.
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Ms Kalinga