PURI/NIMAPARA: A high alert has been sounded in 88 villages of Puri district ahead of Titli making a landfall. The district witnessed intermittent rainfall since morning. The district witnessed intermittent rainfall since morning. The local administration carried out a massive evacuation drive of people living close to the sea and in low lying areas.
Fishermen of Pentakota settlement were shifted to a multi-purpose cyclone shelter and people from other parts have been shifted to 182 cyclone shelters. NDRF teams have been deployed in Puri, Astaranga and Krushnaprasad blocks. While round-the-clock control rooms were made operational in all the tehsils, a central control room has been opened in Puri.
The ECoR has rescheduled a number of trains departing from Puri in wake of the approaching cyclone. In Puri town, people went on panic buying spree leading to rise in prices of vegetables and essential commodities. In Nimapara too, prices of vegetables went up. While price of potato rose to rs 25 per kg from `16, the rate of brinjals increased to `Rs 50 per kg from `30.
Price of onion doubled and it sold at Rs 30 a kg. While District Magistrate Jyotiprakash Das is keeping a tab on the Puri market as a section of traders are allegedly attempting to hoard essential items, Nimapara BDO Kamaljit Dash has warned vendors against hoarding. Dash held an emergency meeting on Wednesday where block and gram panchayat level officials were asked to remain alert.