The Centre on Thursday sounded a red alert for West Bengal and Orissa and kept the Indian Air Force in a state of readiness while Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh have been asked to keep a close watch in view of a very strong cyclone moving rapidly towards the West Bengal-Bangladesh coast.

"The matter was taken up as an emergency measure in the Union Cabinet meeting," Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi said.

He said Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar briefed the meeting about the precautionary measures.
Dasmunsi said the Union Home ministry has contacted the Relief Commissioners of West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman ad Nicobar Islands informng them about the latest status.

The home ministry is also in touch with the commandants of BSF, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and CISF for Deployment and relief work. He said choppers of Indian Air Force (IAF) have been kept in readiness to meet any exigencies and ministries of Railways, Road Transport, Communication and Power have been asked to take appropriate action.

The MHA has asked fishermen in these states not to venture into the sea as the gale wind speed of 180-00 kmph was likely to hit the West Bengal coast. Tides reaching a height of six to seven metres were likely to hit South 24-Parganas and Midnapore districts in West Bengal.