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Cyclone heading towards Maharashtra, Gujarat

A severe cyclone with maximum wind speeds of 150 km per hour Wednesday headed towards Maharashtra and Gujarat where authorities sounded an alert in coastal areas and warned fishermen to stay off the sea but appeared to skirting Goa in a shift of course.

The cyclonic storm over the east central Arabian Sea has intensified and lay about 350 Km south west of Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, the Meteorological Department said.

It is likely to move initially in a northerly direction and across the coast between Devgarh and Alibag in the state by Thursday noon, it said.

As a result, gale force with a wind speeds reaching upto 150 kmph is likely along and off the Karnataka and Konkan region of Maharashtra and South Gujarat and its Saurashtra region.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Desmukh said the entire administration in Alibag and Devgad has been put on high alert.

Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said the entire police machinery and those dealing with disaster management have also been alerted.

In Ahmedabad, Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel said coastal areas of south Gujarat as well as Saurashtra have been put on high alert and all measures have been taken to deal with the situation.

In Delhi, the National Crisis Management Committee reviewed the preparedness to deal with any eventuality.

NCMC meeting chaired by the cabinet secretary was told that the probability of the cyclone hitting Goa coast seemed to be over as the cyclone was centred about 300 kms South-West of its shore.

Heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places in Andaman and Nicobar islands, Konkan and Goa during the next 48 hours, the Meteorological Department said.

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