Cyclone Arnab continued to bring heavy rain and gusty winds to Chhattisgarh on Thursday, damaging standing and harvested paddy, disrupting electricity supply and prompting school closures in 14 districts, while the Centre assured the state of assistance for relief and rescue operations.
Union home minister Amit Shah spoke to Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and assured him of all possible Central assistance, according to the report. Shah also spoke to the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Puducherry, which have also been affected by the weather system, and assured support for relief and rescue operations.
Shah said National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force teams were working on a war footing. Inter-ministerial Central teams are expected to visit the affected states to assess the damage and determine the additional assistance required.
Sai thanked Shah for the assurance and said public safety remained the state government’s highest priority. State agencies were coordinating relief and rescue efforts as persistent rain affected several parts of Chhattisgarh, including Raipur, Gariaband and Ambikapur.
The disruption has extended beyond roads and daily movement. Strong winds have affected electricity supply, while schools in 14 districts were closed on Thursday as authorities responded to continuing rainfall and unsafe conditions. The report did not provide a district-wise estimate of outages or the number of schools affected.
Farmers have faced immediate losses in both harvested and standing paddy. Harvested paddy was reportedly soaked in Balrampur, while winds flattened standing crops in Raigarh and parts of Raipur district. Waterlogging in fields has raised concerns about further crop damage and possible fungal infestation if wet conditions persist.
The weather has also intensified concerns among farmers already dealing with earlier flood-related losses. Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee chief Deepak Baij called for an immediate survey of crop damage and compensation for affected farmers. The report did not state whether a formal compensation package or crop-loss assessment had yet been announced by the state government.
The India Meteorological Department has warned of heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places in north Chhattisgarh, along with thunderstorms, lightning and winds reaching 40–50 kmph. Rain is expected to continue over the next two days even as the cyclonic system gradually weakens.
The immediate response will depend on field assessments by state agencies and the Central teams expected to visit affected areas. Those assessments are to establish the extent of damage to crops and infrastructure and the additional assistance required for relief operations.
