Ganjam: With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting heavy rainfall under the influence of Cyclone Montha, the Ganjam district administration has ordered all hotels in Gopalpur to cancel bookings and remain closed for three days.

In an official directive, Ganjam District Collector Keerthi Vasan instructed hotel owners and managers to cancel all visitor bookings from October 27 onward. The order also directed them to implement necessary precautionary measures to ensure the safety of guests, staff, and property.

“Non-compliance of these instructions will be viewed seriously and dealt with as per the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005,” the order stated.

According to the IMD, a depression over the Bay of Bengal is likely to move northwestwards and cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, near Kakinada, on the evening or night of October 28 as a severe cyclonic storm.

The weather department has issued an orange warning for October 27 and a red warning for October 28 for Ganjam district, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall and extremely heavy rainfall, respectively.

Also read: East Coast Railway cancels 43 trains in view of cyclone 'Montha'

'Govt fully prepared'

Earlier in the day, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said eight southern Odisha districts, namely Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Ganjam, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, and Nabarangpur have been placed under the Red Zone. “As the system is likely to make landfall around 200 km from Malkangiri, southern Odisha is expected to face the maximum impact,” he added.

In preparation, 128 teams from the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and Fire Services have been deployed across the eight districts for rescue and relief operations. District Collectors were directed to complete evacuation from all vulnerable areas by 5 PM today and to take strict action against black marketing of essential commodities.