Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Gujarat’s Kutch on Saturday to take stock of the situation in areas affected by Cyclone ‘Biparjoy’ which means “disaster” in the Bengali language.

During his visit, the Home Minister is also scheduled to hold a meeting with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and other senior officers. Soon after arriving in Kutch, the Union Minister will first conduct an aerial survey of affected areas and then visit shelter homes to meet people.

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Shah will then visit Mandvi and meet people affected by the cyclone and then visit the Swami Narayan Temple in Bhuj and review food materials and other facilities being provided for affected people.

Cyclone Biparjoy, which originated in the Arabian Sea and swept across the west coast of India, made landfall on Thursday night around 10 km north of the Jakhau Port in Kutch in Gujarat.

After making landfall in Gujarat’s coastal areas, Cyclone ‘Biaprjoy’, has weakened into a ‘deep depression’ and is further expected to weaken into a ‘depression’ in the next 12 hours, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in the early hours today.

According to IMD, the cyclonic storm weakened into a ‘deep depression’ at 11:30 pm on Friday over Southeast Pakistan.

“Cyclonic Storm Biparjoy weakened into a Deep Depression at 2330 hours IST of yesterday, June 16, 2023, over Southeast Pakistan adjoining Southwest Rajasthan and Kutch about 100 km northeast of Dholavira. To weaken further into a Depression during next 12 hours,” IMD said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, earlier it was reported that several trees were uprooted in Bhuj, Kutch, due to the impact of the cyclone. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team carried out the clearance work on Friday.

Earlier in the day, a total of six National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams evacuated 127 civilians from Rupen Bandar Government Primary School and reshifted to NDH School Dwarka after Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall in coastal areas of the state on Thursday evening.

According to NDRF, the evacuated civilians include 82 males, 27 females and Children 15 children.

With a prediction of heavy rainfall for the next two days for Gujarat after cyclone ‘Biparjoy’ made landfall in the state, Western Railways on Friday decided to cancel, partially cancel the operation of a few more trains as a precautionary measure in the cyclone-prone areas.

Gujarat Chief Minister held a meeting at the State Emergency Operations Center in Gandhinagar to take stock of the situation in the state in the wake of Cyclone Biparjoy’s landfall.

The Gujarat CM ordered the District Collectors of affected areas to conduct surveys to assess the damage in their districts.

Strong winds and rain from cyclone Biparjoy caused a power failure in Gujarat’s Jamnagar district. PGVCL (Paschim Gujarat Vij Company Limited) teams were in action mode on Friday to restore the issue.

Out of the damaged property, 414 feeders, 221 electric poles and one TC were made operational immediately. The power supply was restored in villages of Jamnagar district.

The one current transformer that was made functional promptly was located in Kalavad taluka of Jamnagar.

Giving an update, NDRF Director General Atul Karwal on Friday said that there has been no loss of lives reported after Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall in Gujarat.

“Twenty-four animals have died and 23 people have been injured. Electricity supply has been interrupted in about a thousand villages. 800 trees have fallen. It is not raining heavily anywhere except Rajkot,” the NDRF DG Karwal said.