Bhubaneswar: With the threat of Cyclone Montha looming over the Bay of Bengal, the Odisha government has stepped up preparedness in the coastal districts.

The Balasore district administration has cancelled all government employees’ leaves, while the Ganjam District Magistrate has directed officials to remain stationed at their headquarters until further orders.

An official order issued by Balasore Collector on Saturday stated, “All government officials are required to stay in their respective headquarters and shall not leave without prior permission of the Collector and District Magistrate.”

It further added that all leaves already availed stand cancelled, and employees currently on leave must resume duty immediately. Any deviation from the directive will be viewed seriously and dealt with under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the order warned.

Similarly, the Ganjam Collector has asked all officials not to leave headquarters between October 25 and 30, following the orange warning issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for possible heavy rainfall and strong winds due to the approaching cyclonic storm.

“This measure is to ensure immediate response and effective coordination in case of any emergency arising out of adverse weather conditions,” the order stated. Officials may be granted leave only under special circumstances, with prior written permission from the Collector.

Also Read: Cyclone Montha: Depression forms over Bay; Check Rainfall, Wind and Fishermen Warnings for Odisha

Cyclone Montha Likely to Intensify Further

According to the IMD’s latest update, the depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal moved westward at a speed of 7 kmph in the past three hours and was centred at 8:30 am on October 25, 2025, near latitude 10.8°N and longitude 88.8°E.

The system is currently located about 440 km west-southwest of Port Blair, 970 km southeast of Visakhapatnam, 970 km east-southeast of Chennai, 990 km southeast of Kakinada, and 1040 km south-southeast of Gopalpur (Odisha).

It is expected to intensify into a deep depression by October 26 and into a cyclonic storm over the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal by October 27 morning. The IMD said the system would further strengthen into a severe cyclonic storm by October 28 morning.

Continuing to move north-northwestwards, Cyclone Montha is likely to make landfall between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam — around Kakinada — during the evening or night of October 28, packing wind speeds of 90–100 kmph gusting up to 110 kmph.

Authorities have urged all district administrations, disaster response teams, and local bodies to remain on alert and ensure round-the-clock readiness to tackle any possible emergency situation.