Odisha closes Kalinga Ghat, schools shut amid cyclone threat

The Kalinga Ghat in Odisha will be closed to all traffic on 23 and 24 September due to landslide risk from a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal. Ganjam Collector Keerthi Vasan said vehicles will use alternative routes, and fire services and ODRAF teams have been put on alert in Chikiti and Patrapur areas identified as vulnerable. A major landslide at the ghat last September took six weeks to clear, and the road remains narrowed to 15 feet with unstable boulders overhead.

Separately, the Gajapati district administration has closed all schools and Anganwadi centres from 22 to 24 September as a precaution against a possible cyclone and heavy rain. The Housing and Urban Development Department has advised all urban local bodies to ready dewatering pumps, rapid action teams, and temporary shelters, particularly in southern districts. The Ganjam administration has adopted a zero-casualty approach and ordered a three-day closure of Anganwadi centres, with a decision on other schools to follow based on weather conditions.