Motorboat services linking Swabhiman Anchal in Malkangiri district with the mainland have been suspended from November 2 to 5 as a precaution ahead of Cyclone Murasu, disrupting the main transport connection for residents of the reservoir-surrounded region. The district administration has simultaneously closed schools and anganwadi centres, prepared buildings as temporary cyclone shelters and placed emergency response teams on alert.
The motor launches operating from the Chitrakonda ferry point are the primary mode of communication for people in Panasput, Jantri and Andrahal panchayats. The suspension is expected to affect daily travel and access to essential needs for residents who depend on the services to reach the mainland.
Malkangiri Collector Prathamesh Arvind Rajeshirke said the administration had begun extensive precautionary measures to minimise the possible loss of life and property. “All departments have been directed to remain on high alert and take necessary steps to protect people, particularly those living in vulnerable and remote areas,” he said.
The administration has ordered the identification and relocation of residents in low-lying, flood-prone and landslide-prone areas whenever required. Schools and anganwadi centres will remain closed during the cyclone period, but their buildings will be kept ready for use as shelters, with staff assigned emergency duties.
Boating, water sports and other tourism activities have also been suspended at Satiguda, Chitrakonda and other tourist destinations in the district. Liquor shops will remain closed from November 2 to 4, according to the reported district orders.
Health and evacuation preparations include arrangements to move pregnant women who are likely to deliver within the next 15 days to nearby primary or community health centres, or to the district headquarters hospital. Emergency medical teams, ambulances and mobile health units have been kept ready to respond to possible emergencies.
The district administration has directed officials to keep JCBs and excavators ready in landslide-prone areas so that road blockages can be cleared quickly. Traffic regulation arrangements are also being made for vulnerable roads, low-level bridges and other sensitive locations. The measures are significant in an area where the suspension of water transport and possible road disruptions could restrict movement between remote settlements and essential services.
Fishermen have been advised not to venture into water bodies, while farmers have been asked to harvest mature crops and vegetables at the earliest. Officials have been instructed to remain at their respective headquarters and monitor conditions from November 2 to 5.
The administration is following a zero-casualty approach and has kept emergency response teams on standby, the collector said. The boat suspension and other restrictions will remain in place through Thursday, subject to the district’s cyclone preparedness arrangements.
