PM Modi's Chaibasa rally deferred to May 6 due to impending cyclone impact in Jharkhand

JAMSHEDPUR: The election rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chaibasa on May 5 has been deferred by a day due to impending impact of the approaching cyclone Fani, expected to hit neighbouring Odisha Friday morning, a BJP leader said Thursday.


The PM's rally at Chaibasa in West Singhbhum district will now be held on May 6, said BJP's Jharkhand unit spokesman Rajesh Kumar Shukla.

He said the proposed rally of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at Gopal Maidan in Jamshedpur (East Singhbhum) listed on Friday has also been put off due to the cyclone.

The new date for Adityanath's public meeting will be announced in a day or two, the spokesman said.

However, he said, Adityanath will address a public rally in Hazaribagh Friday.

Shukla said there was no change in the scheduled programme of BJP president Amit Shah , who will address an election rally at Agrico here on May 8.

A high alert has been issued in view of cyclone Fani in East Singhbhum district on May 3 and 4, official sources said.

The district administration has declared closure of all private and government schools for two days starting Friday.

Meanwhile, an emergency meeting of the district-level disaster management committee was held here under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar.

Kumar has instructed the Red Cross and Civil Defence personnel to remain on alert. A team of National Disaster Response Force has arrived here.

The alert has been sounded in view of possible wind speed of 150 km/per hour and expected rainfall of 12 cm during the storm, the official statement said.

The administration has also alerted people living in catchment areas of river Subarnarekha and Kharkhai and asked them to move to safer places.

The deputy commissioner said temporary camps have been set up in schools and panchyat buildings in rural and urban areas and directed officials to make basic arrangements for people likely to be affected.

Kumar directed officials to alert people in catchment areas through public address system and asked them to shift to safer places.

He also instructed to deploy a medical team and equip makeshift camps with dry food like baked rice, juggery, gram and bread.