Ujjain: Rain lashed several parts of Ujjain city on Sunday morning, bringing much-needed relief from the recent dry spell. The Regional Meteorological Department in Bhopal has forecast continued rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning for Ujjain on October 26 and 27.
Meanwhile, a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is intensifying and is expected to develop into a severe cyclonic storm — to be named ‘Montha’ — by October 28.
In response, the Andhra Pradesh Government has declared a full alert across coastal and adjoining districts to ensure preparedness ahead of the cyclone’s expected landfall. According to official updates, the weather system is currently located about 990 km southeast of Kakinada and is likely to cross the coast between Machilipatnam and Kakinada on the evening or night of October 28.
To oversee preparedness and response efforts, Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand has appointed senior IAS officers as Special Officers for each coastal and adjoining district. These officers have been instructed to immediately reach their assigned areas, set up Cyclone Control Rooms, and coordinate closely with District Collectors for effective disaster management.
Senior IAS officer R.P. Sisodia will serve as Zonal In-charge for the coastal belt covering West Godavari to Chittoor districts, while Ajay Jain will oversee the Visakhapatnam zone — from Srikakulam to Konaseema — which is expected to face strong winds and heavy rainfall during landfall.
Other officers assigned to district-level supervision include K.V.N. Chakradhara Babu (Srikakulam), Pattanshetti Ravi Subash (Vizianagaram), Narayana Bharath Gupta (Manyam), Vadarevu Vinay Chand (ASR), K. Kanna Babu (East Godavari), V.R. Krishna Teja (Kakinada), Vijaya Rama Raju (Konaseema), V. Prasanna Venkatesh (West Godavari), Kantilal Dande (Eluru), Amrapali Kata (Krishna), Shashi Bhushan Kumar (NTR), M. Venu Gopal Reddy (Bapatla), Kona Sasidhar (Prakasam), N. Yuvaraj (Nellore), P. Arun Babu (Tirupati), and P.S. Girisha (Chittoor).
According to the government directive, these officers will coordinate rescue, relief, and restoration activities; ensure uninterrupted delivery of essential services; assess damages; distribute compensation; and facilitate speedy recovery in the aftermath of the cyclone.
Chief Secretary Vijayanand stressed that all departments — including Revenue, Panchayat Raj, Energy, Roads and Buildings, Water Resources, and Health — must work in close coordination under the supervision of the appointed Special Officers to ensure a prompt and effective response.
