NEW DELHI: As the cyclonic storm ‘Biparjoy’ is expected to hit the coastline along Gujarat on Thursday, the authorities have dismantled a radio relay tower propped by a 90-metre-tall guy rope in Dwarka.
According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), the decision to pull down the radio tower, which is used to receive and retransmit radio signals, was taken down to prevent any untoward incident and loss to human life and properties in the vicinity during the cyclone.
The tower was about 35 years old. The I&B ministry on Wednesday stated that a safety audit conducted in January had recommended the dismantling of the tower. “A 90-metre-high guy rope-supported steel Akashvani tower in Dwarka, Gujarat, has been dismantled as a precautionary measure in view of the impending Cyclone Biparjoy.
This has been done to prevent any mishap and minimise damages to life and property in surrounding areas. The move follows a safety audit of this 35-year-old tower by the structural experts from the National Institute of Technology, Surat, and Civil Construction Wing of Prasar Bharati, which recommended the dismantling of this tower in January 2023,” said an official from the I&B ministry.
He added that Akashvani is working on restoration of services from Dwarka by using the available resources simultaneously. Strong winds with a speed of 125-135 kmph and gusting to 150 kmph are expected to hit Dwarka, Kutch, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Junagarh and Morbi districts of Gujarat on Thursday as Biparjoy makes landfall near the Jakhau port.