AP on High Alert as Cyclone Montha Approaches
Taking no chances, the Government has appointed senior IAS officers as Special Officers for all coastal and adjoining districts to coordinate relief and rehabilitation measures
VIJAYAWADA: With the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal intensifying and likely to develop into a severe cyclonic storm Montha by October 28, the Government of Andhra Pradesh has gone into full alert mode. The system, currently located about 990 km southeast of Kakinada, is expected to cross the coast between Machilipatnam and Kakinada on the evening or night of October 28.
Taking no chances, the Government has appointed senior IAS officers as Special Officers for all coastal and adjoining districts to coordinate relief and rehabilitation measures. Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand issued orders directing them to proceed immediately to their respective districts, establish Cyclone Control Rooms, and ensure seamless coordination with District Collectors.
Senior IAS officer R.P. Sisodia will act as the Zonal In-charge Officer for the coastal belt, overseeing preparedness from West Godavari to Chittoor districts. Another official, Ajay Jain, has been entrusted with the Visakhapatnam zone, covering Srikakulam to Konaseema districts, which are expected to experience strong winds and heavy rainfall during the cyclone’s landfall.
Other senior officers have been assigned to different districts to strengthen field-level coordination: KVN Chakradhara Babu (Srikakulam), Pattanshetti Ravi Subash (Vizianagaram), Narayana Bharath Gupta (Manyam), Vadarevu Vinay Chand (ASR), K. Kanna Babu (East Godavari), V. R. Krishna Teja (Kakinada), Vijaya Rama Raju (Konaseema), V. Prasanna Venkatesh (West Godavari), Kantilal Dande (Eluru), Amrapali Kata (Krishna), Shashi Bhushan Kumar (NTR), M. Venu Gopal Reddy (Bapatla), Kona Sasidhar (Prakasam), Dr. N. Yuvaraj (Nellore), P. Arun Babu (Tirupati), and P. S. Girisha (Chittoor).
As per the order, these officers will coordinate rescue, relief, and restoration activities, ensuring last-mile delivery of essential services to the affected population. They will also oversee enumeration of losses, disbursal of compensation, and restoration of normalcy post-cyclone.
The Chief Secretary emphasized that all departments — Revenue, Panchayat Raj, Energy, Roads & Buildings, Water Resources, and Health — must work in close coordination under the supervision of these Special Officers.
With experienced officers like Sisodia and Ajay Jain leading from the front, and a strong administrative team positioned across coastal districts, the Government is fully prepared to minimize the impact of Cyclone Montha and safeguard lives and property along Andhra Pradesh’s coastline.
