Surat, July 31 (IANS) Authorities in Surat on Friday declared a holiday for schools, colleges, diamond processing units, factories and textile markets as the city and district prepared for heavy rainfall and strong winds forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The decision was taken as a precaution after a ‘Red Alert’ was issued and a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal moved towards the region.
Surat Municipal Commissioner, M. Nagarajan, said the civic administration is continuously monitoring the evolving weather situation through senior officials and had already begun evacuating residents from low-lying areas of the city.
“Keeping the safety of students, citizens and workers in mind, holidays have been declared for schools, colleges, diamond units, factories and textile markets. Market associations have also announced a holiday,” Nagarajan said.
He said the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) had initiated the evacuation of people living in vulnerable low-lying localities and urged residents to remain vigilant.
Citizens in Kim and surrounding areas on the outskirts of the city, as well as upstream river locations including Valanja, Kathor and Gothan, were advised to remain alert as heavy rainfall could lead to waterlogging.
With forecasts indicating heavy rain accompanied by strong winds later in the day, the Municipal Commissioner appealed to residents to remain indoors, move valuables and belongings to safer locations to minimise potential damage, and ensure that people living in low-lying areas took necessary precautions to avoid any loss of life.
Nagarajan said teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) had been positioned for emergency response.
He also said the Surat District Collector had requested the State Government to deploy an Army team to strengthen preparedness if the situation deteriorated.
He urged the public to cooperate with the administration and follow official instructions.
Separately, Surat District Development Officer, Devendra Prakash Meena, said the district administration had been placed on full alert after the IMD warned of heavy rainfall and strong winds linked to the low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal.
“The entire district administration is in the field and is closely monitoring the situation. Citizens should not pay attention to rumours circulating on social media or through other platforms and should rely only on information officially issued by the district administration,” Meena said.
Meena further urged people to maintain a safe distance from high-rise buildings, old and large trees and electricity poles during periods of strong winds.
He advised residents to contact the district administration’s control room immediately in the event of any emergency.
–IANS
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