Odisha sends IAS, IPS officers, doctors to ground zero to tackle Cyclone Yaas

BHUBANESWAR: As Cyclone Yaas inches closer to Odisha coast, the state government on Monday deployed some senior IAS and IPS officers as well as engineers and officers from different departments in Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada and Mayurbhanj districts to supervise the rescue and restoration activities.
Many doctors too have been sent to Balasore and Bhadrak where the cyclone is likely to cause the maximum damage.
Yaas is likely to make landfall in Balasore district on May 26.
Sports secretary Vishal Dev and inspector general of police (eastern range) Diptesh Pattanayak have been assigned to oversee the operations in Balasore; Food supplies secretary V V Yadav and inspector general of police (crime branch) Amitendra Nath Sinha would look after Bhadrak; industries secretary Hemant Sharma and deputy inspector general (central range) J N Pankaj have been sent to Kendrapada; higher education secretary Saswat Mishra and inspector general (operations) Amitabh Thakur have been stationed in Jagatsinghpur; and agriculture special secretary Suresh Kumar Vashishth and deputy inspector general (special intelligence wing) Anirudh Kumar Singh have been sent to Mayurbhanj.
The state works department has sent Anil Kant Tripathy (engineer-in-chief, civil) to Balasore, Pradip Kumar Samal (chief engineer, OSHB) to Bhadrak, Gaurang Charan Sahu (chief engineer, e-procurement) to Jagatsinghpur, Jibanananda Nayak (chief engineer, research development & quality wing) to Kendrapada and Bibhudendra Meher (superintending engineer, NH circle, Keonjhar) to Mayurbhanj district to supervise restoration work.
The government has sent additional doctors to Balasore and Bhadrak to ensure smooth management of Covid-related work and treatment of patients during the cyclone. “We have sent ten interns each from the SCB medical college and hospital in Cuttack sent to Balasore and Bhadrak. Besides, some post PG medical officers have been sent to the two districts,” additional chief secretary (health) Pradipta Mohaptra said.
The housing and urban development department has deployed eight senior officers in Balasore and Bhadrak to assist the concerned civic bodies in managing the cyclone. “We have also opened a dedicated control room at the state urban development agency (SUDA) opened in Bhubaneswar to address the grievances relating to Cyclone Yaas,” an officer of the housing and urban development department said.