Surat, July 31 (IANS) The Gujarat government has urged residents of Surat city and district to remain indoors or at other safe locations for the next 24 hours after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a ‘red alert’ for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in the region, with authorities activating round-the-clock monitoring, beginning evacuations from vulnerable areas and placing disaster response teams on standby.
State Minister of State for Health, Praful Pansheriya, reviewed the preparedness measures during a visit to the Surat District Disaster Control Room on Friday.
He was briefed by District Collector Tejas Parmar on the prevailing weather situation, the functioning of the disaster control room and the monitoring of relief and rescue operations.
Pansheriya said the state government and the district administration had completed all advance preparations in response to the red alert for heavy rain and strong winds, adding that “the Surat District Control Room was monitoring the situation continuously”.
Appealing to residents to exercise caution, the minister said wind speeds of up to 30 kmph and heavy to extremely heavy rainfall were expected over the next 24 hours.
“In this situation, the safety of every citizen is the government’s priority. We appeal to all citizens not to step out unnecessarily from their homes or other safe places for the next 24 hours and to avoid risky activities such as visiting creeks or riverbanks to watch rising water,” he said.
As part of precautionary measures, the Surat Collector has instructed textile units, diamond factories and industrial associations to declare a holiday.
The administration has also begun relocating residents from areas that experienced flooding during the previous spell of heavy rain, as well as from low-lying localities, including Velanja, to safer locations.
Residents have been advised to keep sufficient stocks of essential items, including drinking water and milk, to meet their needs for at least the next 24 hours.
“All leave for government officers and employees across Surat city and district had been cancelled to ensure adequate manpower for emergency response,” Pansheriya said.
The Surat Municipal Corporation, district administration and police have intensified preparedness measures, while National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have been placed on standby for relief and rescue operations.
“Disaster management teams were working continuously, while talati-level officials, prant offices and all zonal offices had remained operational through the previous night and would continue functioning throughout the night,” he noted.
Local elected representatives, including MLAs and corporators, were also monitoring conditions in their respective areas.
Pansheriya also cautioned the public against misinformation circulating on social media, urging residents to rely only on official updates issued by the Collector’s Office through the media.
“Citizens should not believe rumours or any unauthorised or false information. They should rely only on the official advisories issued every hour by the Collector’s Office. Strict legal action will be taken against those spreading false rumours on social media,” he said.
–IANS
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