Alert over fresh cyclone taking shape

Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department Thursday warned of another cyclonic storm taking shape in the southeast Bay of Bengal. However, it would not have a direct impact on Odisha, it said.
“A depression which lay over southeast Bay of Bengal moved northwestwards and lay centred at 780-km southeast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), 1080-km south-southeast of Chennai and 1250-km south southeast of Machilipatnam,” said IMD. It is likely to intensify further into a deep depression in the next 12 hours and into a cyclonic storm during the subsequent 12 hours. The system is likely to move northwestwards towards Andhra coast in the next 72 hours, the Met said.
“The cyclone will not have any direct impact on Odisha as it is not coming under the direct influence of the system. However, light to moderate rainfall may occur at a few places in north and south Odisha around December 16-17,” said director of Bhubaneswar Met Centre HR Biswas.
Meanwhile, the state government has directed collectors to take steps to protect farmers’ crops from rain. Joint Relief Commissioner PR Mohapatra has ordered all collectors to protect standing crops of farmers. The government has also advised farmers to reap paddy from the fields and bring it to safer places.