The Maharashtra government has taken precautionary measures in the backdrop of the Amphan cyclone, announcing that three shramik special trains for West Bengal and Odisha have been canceled till May 21, 2020. These trains were set to carry migrant workers to West Bengal and Odisha, which are expected to be hit by super cyclone Amphan on Wednesday. The Maharashtra government has received a nod from its counterparts in West Bengal and Odisha to send trains in the next couple of days.
Earlier it had planned to send one train to West Bengal and two trains to coastal Odisha. However, as the severity of the tropical cyclone was known, it was decided to cancel the trains in order to safeguard the migrants. Even though each shramik train can carry an average of 1,500 passengers, the government has appealed to the labourers to not rush to any stations.
The word 'Amphan', pronounced as ‘Um-pun’, originates from Thai and means "sky". The name was suggested by Thailand back in 2004. The names are chosen from a list by a host of member countries part of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), a specialised agency within the UN's Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
The authorities in West Bengal and Odisha have already evacuated thousands of people from vulnerable locations as a precautionary measure. As per the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Amphan, at the moment is the strongest cyclone ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal, surpassing the 1999 Odisha super cyclone at 260kmph. The NDRF and other frontline workers along the Indian Navy are on high alert for cyclone relief efforts on the east coast. The disaster relief force is waiting on the line to step in and help as the super cyclone is expected to make landfall in Bengal today, May 20, 2020.
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