New Delhi, Oct.12 (ANI): The Indian Army and Navy were on alert for Saturday's Cyclone Phailin, which is poised to strike the east coast, and confirmed that they are pursuing rescue and relief plans aggressively.
The Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy has assumed the highest degree of readiness to render all necessary humanitarian assistance.
Two Indian Naval ships, including the Landing Platform Dock INS Jalashwa are standing by to proceed with dispatch to the most affected areas of Odisha in the cyclone's aftermath.
INS Jalashwa, the second largest combatant of the Indian Navy, is ideally equipped to undertake Humanitarian Aid Distress Relief (HADR), evacuation, logistic support and hospital ship operations.
Both the ships are poised with additional divers, doctors, inflatable rubber boats, integral helicopters and relief material that include food, tentage, clothes, medicines, blankets etc, in quantities sufficient to sustain over 5000 personnel for three days.
Six advance diving teams with inflatable boats, rescue material and satellite communication have left for Odisha by road and will operate from INS Chilka, 50 km north of Gopalapatnam, where the cyclone is expected to make landfall.
These personnel will be assisted by four platoons from the local naval station and doctors from INHS Nivarini in their rescue and relief efforts.
The Eastern Naval Command is monitoring the developments closely and is in constant communication with the state administration to augment rescue and relief operations.
Six helicopters are standing by at the Naval Air Station INS Dega to undertake reconnaissance, rescue, casualty evacuation and air drop of relief material to the stranded.
Additionally, four Naval ships, 30 diving teams, four platoons with composite satellite communication and additional relief material are ready to be pressed into action at short notice, all along the East Coast from Visakhapatnam to Paradip.
The Indian Army on its part has mobilised an engineering column comprising medical and signal entities from Bhubaneswar to Gopalpur in Ganjam District, forecast to be the landfall area where the cyclone is expected to strike landmass in Odisha later tonight.
Additional engineering columns and signal columns are also expected to arrive in Bhubaneswar and adjoining coastal areas from various units of Army's Eastern and Central Commands.
The overall rescue and relief operations are being coordinated by General Officer Commanding Madhya Bharat, Lt. Gen. Ramesh Rana, who has held various high level meetings with the Odisha Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and Relief Commissioner, among others, earlier in the day.
General Rana said the army will synergise the efforts of NDRF, ODRAF, Army and work in cooperation with them. While some columns are already moving, other columns from the Eastern and Central Commands are on standby.
The task for the army includes evacuating people from affected areas in the aftermath of the cyclone including shifting them from their kutcha dwellings, open physical lines of communication including roads, telephone lines, electricity and water supply.
The army will also be meeting some of the medical requirements and supply of relief materials. It will also work in support of the state forces to ensure minimum loss of lives and property. (ANI)
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