Cyclone Nisarga: All fishing boats return to shore off Palghar coast

Fishing boats are anchored ahead of a cyclonic storm that may hit the North Maharashtra and Gujarat coast, at the Madh fishing village, in the north western coast of Mumbai. Pic/ AFP

All fishing boats which were out in the sea off Palghar coast have returned ahead of the cyclone 'Nisarga', which is set to make a landfall at Alibaug in neighbouring Raigad district of Maharashtra on Wednesday afternoon, an official said. As many as 577 fishing boats from Palghar had earlier gone out in the sea and till Monday evening, 564 came back. Later, help was sought from the Coast Guard, Navy and the fisheries department and the remaining 13 boats also returned to the shore late Tuesday evening, district disaster control chief Vivekanand Kadam said.

Till Wednesday morning, more than 15,000 people residing in low lying areas and 'kutcha' houses near the coast in Dahanu, Palghar, Vasai and Talasari tehsils of Palghar were evacuated and shifted to safer places, he said. Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have already been stationed in Palghar to meet any eventuality, another official said. The NDRF personnel on Tuesday went around some villages in the district and made locals aware of the do's and dont's during the cyclone.

Prohibitory orders have already been imposed in Palghar and neighbouring Thane district till Thursday, and people, including fishermen, have been asked not to venture into the sea. In Thane, a team of NDRF has been deployed at the Uttan coast in Bhayander, where a large number of fishermen live, district regional disaster management cell chief Santosh Kadam said. One more team has also been called in and is expected to arrive any time, NDRF Commandant Rajendra Patil said.

In addition to this, a team each of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Thane Disaster Response Force (TDRF) is already stationed in the district, he said. District disaster control officer Anita Jawanjal earlier said no fishing boat from Thane is left out in the sea.

"All the 252 boats which had gone out for fishing returned by Monday evening," she said.

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