Ports and train services have been suspended in Odisha even as the Government increased alert levels as cyclonic storm Phailin approaches.
Paradip port and Dhamra port have suspended operations, while East Coast Railways has cancelled 24 local trains between Visakhapatnam and Bhadrak in the Howrah-Chennai Main Line; trains to Paradeep, Puri, Angul and Talcher also remain cancelled.
Paradip port Chairman S. S. Mishra told
“Our berths are vacated. We had started lowering port activities since Thursday. Today, we have vacated or restricted the incoming vessels. Vessels on ports are unsafe as they may collide in rough waves. We have opened cyclone emergency control and relief centres with adequate dry food items,” said Mishra.
Santosh Mohapatra, CEO, Dhamra port, which is a joint venture of L&T and Tata Steel, said, “We have vacated the berths and advised incoming ships to be in high seas. This is the standard practise to ensure the safety of ships and ports. Train and truck loading have been stopped in the port. The limited operations (of cargo already in port) are slowly being suspended.”
Both ports are watching the situation before taking further calls.
Railways, which have cancelled local trains, may have to divert long-distance trains if the situation worsens. “As of now, we have cancelled only local train operations. We are keeping a watch on the situation. Long-distance trains will be diverted or short-terminated if the need arises,” the spokesperson of the East-Coast Railway, headquartered in Bhubaneswar, said.
In view of the expected cyclone, East-Coast Railway has geared up its resources for the convenience of passengers, it said in a release. Special Relief Trains will be run to the disaster-affected areas carrying relief and restoration materials.
Apart from this, extra diesel engines have been requisitioned, in case there is a problem in running long-distance electric trains.
mamuni.das@thehindu.co.in