The Tripura government has canceled all employees’ leave for this week after warning of thunderstorm and heavy rain for the next 48 hours across the state under the influence of super cyclone ‘Sitrang’. At the same time, the Airport Authority of India has canceled the operation of all ATR flights in Agartala on Monday and the Northeast Frontier Railway has canceled the special Diwali train for two days.
Airport officials said at least four ATR flights operating daily in the Agartala sector have been suspended for the day in view of the weather conditions. However, the movement of Boeing and larger aircraft will remain normal until a serious emergency arises.
Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha held several meetings till late Sunday night and reviewed the disaster management action plan being prepared to deal with any situation. The state government next declared holiday for all educational institutions till October 26 and advised people not to step out of their homes unless there is an emergency.
Community Diwali festival and mela organizers, including the Mata Tripureeshwari temple in Udaipur, have been asked to restrict crowds and not allow mass gatherings at pandals. Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) has made three alternative arrangements to ensure stable power supply in case of any calamity.
On Sunday night, it started raining with strong wind across Tripura and the IMD forecast said that the intensity of rain and thunderstorm will gradually increase till Tuesday evening till the cyclonic storm weakens.
