With cyclone 'Titli' over the Bay of Bengal Wednesday intensifying into a very severe cyclonic storm and moving towards the coast, the Odisha government began evacuation of people in five coastal districts.


Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who took stock of the situation, asked the collectors of Ganjam, Puri, Khurda, Kendrapara and Jagtsinghpur districts to go for an immediate evacuation of people in the low-laying areas in the coastal belt.


Chief Secretary AP Padhi said the district administration of Ganjam has already started evacuating people in Gopalpur area, where very severe cyclone 'Titli' is likely to make a landfall at about 5.30 am Thursday. So far, about 1,000 people have been shifted to safer place, he said. Padhi said immediate evacuation was being launched in view of the IMD forecast of a tidal surge of about 1 m during landfall of cyclone 'Titli'.


The chief secretary said the National Disaster Response Force and Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force personnel have already been positioned in vulnerable districts. -- PTI