The Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday conducted a review meeting at Amaravati on Fani cyclone which is predicted to cross the Odisha coast on Friday morning or afternoon in the vicinity of the temple town of Puri, also affecting the north-coastal districts of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam. The border district of Srikakulam, in particular, is likely to be hit hard, according to officials.
The Chief Minister asked officials to take all precautionary steps to prevent loss of both human lives and property loss during the period of cyclone landfall. He said that as elections were concluded in the State there was no point in keeping silent during the hour of crisis in the name of election code of conduct. If necessary, he would visit the cyclone-affected regions in the state. He said he had written a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner seeking exemption from election code of conduct to monitor the situation during cyclones. He said there should be no communication gap between the Election Commission and the State, especially while dealing with emergencies.
He directed officials to make milk packets and other essentials available in areas likely to be hit by the cyclone. He said there was no need to issue fresh GOs for taking up relief measures during the cyclone. The GOs issued during Titli cyclone are enough to carry out relief operations.