NTR District Remains Under Control Amid Ongoing Cyclonic Storm Murasu

NTR District remains stable during Cyclone Murasu as local body vote counting continues. Collector Lakshmisha urges public cooperation as weather alerts persist across Andhra Pradesh, with coastal areas facing heavy rain and wind impacts.

NTR District Situation Under Control

NTR District Collector G. Lakshmisha on Tuesday said the district remains fully under control and non-alarming amid the ongoing impact of cyclonic storm Murasu along the Andhra Pradesh coast. Speaking to ANI, the Collector underlined that no untoward incidents have been reported across the district so far. He also urged the public to cooperate fully with official directives, avoid unnecessary outdoor travel, and strictly follow safety advisories.

"So far, there has been no untoward incident. We are getting an average 1.52 or 2 millimeter rains average per hour. In the last two hours only, we got around 6 millimetres of rainfall. So our entire district administration is prepared. The Budameru catchment area is being monitored, and there is no imminent threat. All the road clearing and monitoring teams are deployed. The situation is not alarming. There are no major road blocks or disruptions. Everywhere, things are normal. We will continue to monitor the situation for the next 24 to 36 hours. I request the public to cooperate with the officials and follow the instructions. Please avoid travel or unnecessary movement outside. So whenever the government officials give instructions to shift to the rehabilitation centres, I request everyone to cooperate. So far, there is no issue," he said.

Local Body Election Counting Progress

Further, he assured that the counting of votes for the local body elections is proceeding peacefully in NTR district. The vote counting began at 8 AM itself. As there are a large number of votes in the Vijayawada Corporation limits, elaborate arrangements have been made. Despite rains, agents and staff reached on time. Counting is being carried out carefully without any scope for errors as per Election Commission norms. Heavy bandobast has been deployed outside counting centres and law and order is being monitored strictly.

Collector Lakshmisha appealed to political party representatives and agents to extend full cooperation to election officials. He said if there are any doubts, they should directly contact the Returning Officer or the Collectorate Control Room. The District Collector further requested people not to create unnecessary rumours and not to believe false propaganda.

Impact of Cyclone Murasu on Coastal Regions

Meanwhile, incessant rains have been lashing Machilipatnam since last night due to the impact of Cyclone Murasu, inundating several areas. Many areas of Machilipatnam have been waterlogged. The downpour disrupted the counting process as staff could not reach the counting centre on time due to the rain. Strong winds at the counting centre set up at Krishna University on November 3 blew away the tents. To shift staff to the counting centres, the district administration arranged special buses and is transporting them to the centre. Municipal staff have taken up repair of tents on a war footing to ensure there is no obstruction to the counting process. Fire and Rescue Services personnel are removing uprooted trees from the highway on a war footing following the impact of the cyclone. They are clearing the road to prevent disruption to vehicular traffic and restore normal transportation services for the public.

Meteorological Department Updates

Moreover, according to Visakhapatnam Meteorological Department Director PLN Murthy, the storm is expected to maintain a north-northwestward trajectory over the next 12 hours and gradually weaken into a standard cyclonic storm by noon today. "The severe cyclonic storm Murusu has crossed the coast close to Ongole around today morning between 3.30 hours IST and 5.30 hours IST. Currently, it lies over the South Andhra Pradesh coast close to Ongole as a severe cyclonic storm. During the next 12 hours, it is likely to move in the same direction, north-northwestward and weaken into a cyclonic storm by noon today," he said.

"Today, we have issued red alerts in three districts and orange alerts for the rest of the districts... Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea for the next two days," he added. He noted that several ports across the State continue to display the high-level danger signals issued previously, including Nizampatnam Port with the Great Danger Signal 10, Machilipatnam Port with the Great Danger Signal 9, Krishnapatnam Port with the Great Danger Signal 8, and other ports with the Local Cautionary Signal 3.

"Ports will continue displaying danger signals issued yesterday: Nizampatnam Port: Great Danger Signal 10 (GD-10), Machilipatnam Port: Great Danger Signal 9 (GD-9), Krishnapatnam Port: Great Danger Signal 8 (GD-8), and other ports continuing with Local Cautionary Signal 3 (LC-3)," he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)