Cyclone Vayu may recurve, hit Gujarat's Kutch: Officials

Cyclone Vayu is likely to recurve, move towards Gujarat and hit Kutch as a cyclonic storm or deep depression, news agency PTI reported on Friday quoting officials.

A top Union Ministry of Earth Sciences official Friday said cyclone Vayu is likely to recurve and hit Kutch on June 17-18.

"Vayu is likely to recurve on June 16 and hit Kutch on June 17-18," M Rajeevan, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, told PTI.

The intensity of the very severe cyclonic storm is also likely to reduce, Rajeevan said, adding that it may hit the coast as a cyclonic storm or a deep depression.

He said the Gujarat government has been alerted about the possible re-curvature of the cyclonic storm.

Speaking on the IMD's latest weather report, Ahmedabad Meteorological Centre Additional Director Manorama Mohanty, however, said it was too early to predict if the cyclone will recurve and hit Kutch or Saurashtra.

"The report says it may recurve in the next 48 hours. But it is also possible it may weaken by then and dissipate in the sea itself. Thus, it is too early to predict that it will come back and hit the Kutch coast," she said.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Friday said cyclonic storm Vayu no longer posed any threat to the state as it had moved away westward.

"Gujarat is now completely safe. There exists no threat from cyclone Vayu now as the storm has veered towards the west in the Arabian Sea," Rupani said.

"Around 2.75 lakh people who were evacuated from the coastal areas are free to return to their homes," the chief minister told reporters.

The latest weather report by the Meteorological Centre had predicted the cyclone to move "slowly away from the coast" and currently located in the Arabian Sea, around 150 km from Porbandar.

'Vayu' was expected to make landfall between Dwarka and Veraval in Gujarat on Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, fishermen in Gujarat claimed to have incurred significant losses and damage to their boats in the wake of gusty winds generated in the region due to Cyclone Vayu, news agency ANI reported.

The fishermen also claimed that they did not have enough space for parking their boats, due to which severe damage was caused.

The fishermen have appealed to the government to take steps for ensuring sufficient places for boats to be parked. 

They have also asked for compensation for the losses incurred.

The weather department on Friday stated that the monsoon in Maharashtra will be delayed as a result of the very severe cyclonic storm Vayu.

(With inputs from agencies)