On Thursday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to inquire about the state’s circumstances after the landfall of strong cyclone “Biparjoy.”
The PM, among other things, wanted to know what the state government was doing to ensure the protection of wild animals, particularly the lions in the Gir forest. “PM Modi called me on the phone and asked all the pertinent questions on Gujarat’s present state of affairs in the wake of Cyclone Biparjoy’s landfall. Additionally, he inquired about the measures the government was doing to ensure the safety of all wild creatures, especially the Gir Forest lions.
An official announcement said that the CM also paid a visit to the Gandhinagar State Emergency Operations Centre and met with senior administrators to assess the situation.
According to the press release, Patel was told at the meeting that up to one lakh residents of coastal districts including Kutch, Junagadh, and Devbhumi Dwarka had been relocated to temporary shelters as a precaution before the cyclone slammed the shore on Thursday evening.
The state Forest Department has established 184 ‘quick response’ squads to rescue wild animals and remove fallen trees throughout the whole Asiatic lion zone, in addition to teams created to restore power, water, and road connection, it added.
Others are being monitored by the forest personnel, while other radio-collared lions are being followed by satellite signals. According to the announcement, the movement of 40 lions that live close to the shore is also being carefully observed.
It said that 58 control rooms may be used to handle any animal situation. Around 6.30 p.m., the cyclone in the Arabian Sea began making landfall at Jakhau Port in the Kutch area. The IMD predicted that the process would be finished by midnight.
