Bhubaneswar, Oct 22: The Odisha government on Tuesday announced that Colleges and Universities in 14 districts of the state will remain closed for three days starting from October 23 due to the impending cyclonic storm 'Dana'.

In a letter, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Deoranjan Kumar Singh apprised the Commissioner-cum-Secretary to the Higher Education Department about the decision regarding the closure of the Colleges and Universities in the affected districts from October 23 to October 25.

All the Colleges and Universities in Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Angul, Khurda, Nayagargh and Cuttack districts will remain closed from October 23 to October 25 as a precautionary measure in view of the impending severe cyclonic storm, the SRC said.

The above districts are expected to witness rough weather due to the severe cyclonic storm ‘Dana’.

Meanwhile, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari told media persons the State government has kept ready more than 750 cyclone shelters for people who will be evacuated from vulnerable areas.

The Minister stated that officials at the ground level have been instructed to make arrangements for women in cyclone shelters where women police will be deployed.

Food, water, medicine, electricity and other essentials are kept in readiness for the people to be evacuated due to the impending cyclone, he said.

According to the IMD, the severe cyclonic storm ‘Dana’ likely to be formed in the Bay of Bengal on October 23 is very likely to cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island during the night of 24th and early morning 25th October 2024 as a severe Cyclonic Storm with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting 120 kmph.

The IMD predicted that the rainfall activities will start in the coastal areas of the state from October 23 onwards while extremely heavy rainfall will be witnessed in some parts on October 24 and 25.

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