Cyclone Gulab: Telangana announces holiday for schools, colleges and offices on Tuesday

Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has announced that all the government offices and educational institutions across the state would remain closed on Tuesday because of the incessant rains.

Heavy rains are being recorded in many parts of the state, including Hyderabad, since Monday morning, due to the effect of the cyclone Gulab. The storm from the Bay of Bengal had crossed the Andhra Pradesh shore at Kalingapatnam late evening on Sunday.

The remnant of the cyclonic system has by Monday evening weakened into a depression over north Telangana, adjoining south Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha, causing heavy to very heavy rains in these regions.

A high alert warning has been issued in Hyderabad as heavy rainfall is predicted for two more days. Several roads and colonies are already flooded causing traffic jams and other troubles for the public. Rain water has stagnated in many places like Khairatabad, Mallepalli, LB Nagar, Yousufguda, Attapur.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has deployed 170 monsoon teams to attend to contingencies, and has set up 30 relief centres for the people needing evacuation from low lying areas. 202 motor pump sets were also dispatched to various locations in the city for draining out the stagnated water.

City police commissioner Anjani Kumar and GHMC mayor G Vijaya Lakshmi have appealed to the public not to venture out unless necessary.

Chief Minister Rao reviewed the heavy rains situation with Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and other officials.

Rao ordered for the closure of all the government offices, and schools, colleges in the state on Tuesday. "However, departments like the revenue, police, fire services, municipal, Panchayati Raj, irrigation, roads and buildings would be on emergency duty to ensure that no property or lives are lost due to heavy rains."

Meanwhile IMD officials said that Gulab, now a depression, is likely to move west-northwestwards and further weaken into a well marked low pressure area on Tuesday.

“The system is likely to emerge into northeast Arabian Sea and adjoining Gujarat coast around 30 September evening and there is likelihood for the system to further intensify over northeast Arabian Sea during the subsequent 24 hours,” IMD's Monday evening bulletin said.

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