Fishermen warned to stay ashore as cyclone Dana looms over Odisha coast

Bhubaneswar, Oct 20: Additional Special Relief Commissioner (SRC), Padmanav Behera, has instructed District Collectors of Ganjam, Puri, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak, and Balasore to prevent fishermen from venturing into the sea between October 16 and 26. This directive follows a weather advisory issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday.

The SRC’s communication urges officials to ensure that fishermen already at sea return safely to shore. The letter states, "It is requested to implement this advisory at your level and submit a certificate confirming that all fishermen have returned."

The IMD has also issued a cyclone warning for Odisha and West Bengal, predicting that Odisha may face the most severe impact.

A cyclonic circulation over the North Andaman Sea is expected to develop into a low-pressure area over the East-Central Bay of Bengal within 24 hours. It is projected to intensify into a depression by October 22 and transform into a cyclonic storm by October 23. The storm is likely to move northwestwards, approaching the Odisha-West Bengal coast by the morning of October 24.