NEW DELHI, May 2: As many as 223 trains along the Odisha coastline on the Kolkata-Chennai route have been cancelled in view of cyclone Fani, which is likely to hit the eastern state by 3 May, the railways said on Thursday.
These include 140 mail/express trains and 83 passenger trains.
“All trains cancelled in Bhadrak-Vizianagaram section (along Odisha coastline) of Kolkata-Chennai route till 4 May afternoon in view of cyclone Fani,” a railway spokesperson said.
The Indian Railways has also pressed into service three special trains to ferry passengers. The ‘extremely severe’ cyclonic storm is likely to affect Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
The National Crisis Management Committee, the country’s top body to handle an emergency situation, on Wednesday reviewed the preparedness for cyclone Fani, a home ministry official said.
Around 900 cyclone shelters have been made ready to house evacuees, while troops of the Indian Navy, the Indian Coast Guard and 78 teams of the National Disaster Response Force have been requisitioned for deployment. (PTI)
