The government has taken all out preparations to tackle the imminent cyclone Titli which intensified into a severe cyclonic storm with a core of Hurricane wind currently lying over coastal Odisha of India.

Addressing a press conference at PID here this morning, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossen Chowdhury Maya said the government got the cyclone forecast message a few days ago and started taking necessary steps since that time.

“The field administration along with Fire Service and Civil Defense, Ansar-VDP, scouts and 56,000 volunteers under the Cyclone Preparedness Programme have been kept alert to tackle any consequence of the storm,” the minister said.

Earlier, an emergency meeting of the Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) Implementation Board was held as per the instruction of the government’s standing order on disaster on October 10.

The government has cancelled the weekly leave of all the government officials and employees at 19 costal districts as part of the precautionary steps to tackle the cyclone, said the minster referring to the decision of the meeting.

Instructions have been given to open control room at upazila and district levels. The officials have been asked to make correspondence with the control rooms opened by the Disaster Management and Relief and the National Disaster Response Coordination Center (NDRCC).

As per the decision of the meeting, the government has alerted the concerned administrations of all the districts and upazilas in the coastal region.

“Adequate relief materials have been stockpiled in those districts and round-the-clock communication has been established with the district and upazila level officials,” the minister said.

As part of the early steps, the relief minister said, instructions have been given to the members of army, navy, coast guard, fire service and civil defense and Ansar-VDP to take preparations if the situation deteriorates.

Disaster Management and Relief Secretary M Shah Kamal, Director General of the Fire Service and Civil Defense Department Brigadier General Ali Ahmad Khan, Director General of the Armed Forces Division Brigadier General Ejazul Bari, Director of the Meteorology Department Shamsuddin Ahmed and CPP director Ahmadul Haq, among others, were present.