Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday held a conversation with his Gujarat counterpart Vijay Rupani to discuss the impact of Cyclone Tauktae as the cyclonic storm made landfall in the neighbouring state late in the night a day earlier.
In a tweet by the Maharashtra CMO in the evening, it read, "This morning CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray spoke to Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani ji. They discussed the impact of Cyclone Tauktae on Maharashtra and Gujarat." On May 17, Thackeray was closely monitoring the movement and the impact of the cyclone. "Vehicular movement is being restored after removing trees and electric poles that have fallen due to gusty winds. The CM also took stock of the damage to fishing boats. He also took stock of the interrupted Air and Rail services from the relevant departments", informed Thackeray's CMO.
As Cyclone Tauktae caused severe damage to property and lives, the Indian Navy has rescued a total of 180 personnel so far from Barge P-305.
The Indian Naval Ships - Beas, Betwa and Teg - joined INS Kochi and Kolkata for undertaking Search and Rescue (SAR) operations for Barge P-305, which sank 35 nautical miles from Mumbai (in the Mumbai Offshore Development Area).
A spokesperson of the Indian Navy said, "SAR has also been augmented with P8I and naval helicopters, who continue to undertake aerial search in the area. Since the commencement of the SAR from the evening of May 17, 180 survivors have been recovered so far." Cyclone Tauktae will move North-Northeastwards and weaken gradually into a deep depression in the next three hours, informed India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday.
Cyclonic Storm Tauktae is now over the Gujarat region. It is about 120 km south-southeast of Deesa and 35 km west of Ahmedabad and 80 km east-northeast of Surendranagar.
According to IMD, Gale wind speed reaching 60-70 kmph gusting to 80 kmph is likely to prevail over the gulf of Khambat and adjoining northeast Arabian Sea during next few hours.
