A cyclonic storm expected to form by the next 12 hours over the Bay of Bengal may skip Odisha but will move towards northern Andhra Pradesh, officials said on Wednesday.
The Bhubaneswar centre of the Indian Meteorological Department said a deep depression lay centred over North Andaman Sea and neighbouring southeast Bay of Bengal would intensify into a cyclonic storm during the next 12 hours.
Read: Odisha on high alert after cyclone forecast
“It would cross Andaman and Nicobar Islands close to Long Island with in a few hours. Thereafter, the system would continue to move west-northwestwards towards north Andhra Pradesh,” a morning bulletin from the centre said.
On Tuesday, the Odisha government had asked all 30 districts of the state to remain on alert after a met department forecast indicated that the cyclonic storm might affect the state on October 12.
The focus was more on 16 districts, including Ganjam that was worst hit by Cyclone Phailin in October last year.
“As of now the cyclonic storm may not touch Odisha as per the met report, but there will not be any change in our preparedness. We will concentrate more on south Odisha neighbouring Andhra Pradesh,” Odisha deputy relief commissioner Prabhat Ranjan Mohapatra said.
The cyclone scare has triggered panic buying by people with potato disappearing from the markets in Odisha. Prices of onion, vegetables and other essential items shot up by about 50%.
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