Cyclone Gaja alert sounded in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry

Authorities on Sunday warned fishermen against venturing into the Bay of Bengal until Thursday and asked those in the mid-sea to return to shores as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a cyclone red alert for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Andhra Pradesh. “There will be a cyclonic storm, which may not be of severe intensity. So, fishermen in these states have been asked to stay away from the sea till November 15,” said IMD meteorology director M Mohapatra. Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry will receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on November 14 (Wednesday), which will not be less than 20 cm. Tamil Nadu’s chief secretary Girija Vaidyanathan would chair a meeting at the state secretariat on Monday to discuss the measures to be taken in dealing with the cyclone.