With cyclone Phailin set to hit the Andhra coast in the next 24 hours, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has geared up its machinery to deal with the situation in the city.
The Indian Meteorological Department has described cyclone Phailin as a ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ with wind speeds going up to 220-240 km per hour.
The GHMC has cancelled the leaves of officials working in the engineering, town planning, administration, disaster management sections and the staff have been asked to report to duties.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu, along with engineer-in-chief R Dhan Singh, said that Hyderabad may also experience heavy rain on Sunday and Monday.
The emergency teams in all the 18 GHMC circles have been provided vehicles, emergency equipment like de-watering pumps, tree cutting machines (power saws), pump sets, gas cutting machines, emergency, focus lights, generators, concrete drill machines, mega phones, traffic lights, crowbars, wireless handsets, ropes, axes, helmets, hammers, face masks and gloves.
The commissioner said 67 emergency teams consisting of 840 personnel will stand by to deal with exigencies. Six mobile teams at Central Emergency (Red Hills) and two at South Emergency (Sardar Mahal) will be on duty round the clock.
As many as 18 police stations and 12 in Cyberabad have been provided with emergency tools. Control rooms have been established in five zones covering all 18 circles apart from the control room at the Central Emergency Centre to receive complaints from citizens round the clock. Tank levels will also be monitored closely.