Cyclone Dana: Flights, train services resume in Bhubaneswar; Odisha chief minister hails ‘Zero Casualty Mission’

Flights and train services resumed in Bhubaneswar on October 25 morning even though cyclone Dana continued to tear through the Odisha coast since midnight. 

Biju Patnaik International Airport resumed operation with the first flight landing around 9 am, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said. 

The airport authorities had decided to suspend services till 9 am today operations resumed a bit early as the weather conditions improved, Airport Director Prasanna Pradhan said.  

Airport operations were suspended from 5 pm on October 24 due to Cyclone Dana, which made landfall between Dhamra and Bhitarkanika around midnight. 

The East Coast Railway said trains started running as per schedule, barring those cancelled earlier in its jurisdiction. The Railways had cancelled around 203 trains as a precautionary measure for the Cyclone Dana. 

The railway officials said that trains scheduled to originate from Bhubaneswar and Puri will commence their journey after noon today except the notified cancelled trains. 

Meanwhile, the IMD said that the landfall process of the severe cyclonic storm Dana was complete on October 25 morning and the system took at least eight and half hours to enter the landmass. 

“The landfall of Dana started at 12.05 am on Friday and took around eight and half hours to end the process. It was completed around 8.30 am on Friday,” IMD said. 

Dana, which hit the landmass with wind speeds of 110 kmph, has weakened and become a cyclonic storm, a IMD scientist said. 

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi claimed that the state has achieved its “Zero Casualty Mission” as there has been no report regarding any loss of human life or injury in the severe cyclonic storm Dana.  

Majhi, who reviewed the cyclone situation in the morning announced that there has been no human casualty in the cyclone. “There is no report of any death of any human life. Our zero casualty Mission has been successful with cooperation of everyone,” the CM announced. 

The Odisha government had set a target of “Zero Casualty”, he said, adding that around six lakh people were evacuated to safety.  

The chief minister said all the roads blocked by uprooted trees would be cleared by 1 pm today as the rescue team personnel have already started working as soon as the intensity of wind reduced on October 24 night. 

Majhi said many electrical installations like electric poles and transformers have been damaged and were being repaired. 

“By 6 pm of Friday, electricity will be restored in all places including the worst hit Kendrapara, Balasore and Bhadrak district,” he said. 

The CM also said that 1,600 new-born children and their mothers were doing fine. He said the state government has evacuated 4,431 pregnant women to nearby health care centres where 1,600 babies were born.