Bhubaneswar: In view of the heavy rainfall warning issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) under the influence of Cyclone Montha, the Khordha district administration has declared a two-day holiday for all schools and Anganwadi centres.

As per the official order, the institutions will remain closed on October 28 and 29, 2025, as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of children and staff.

According to the IMD, a depression over the Bay of Bengal is expected 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.

'Fully Prepared'

Earlier in the day, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari informed that 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 said.

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

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.