In view of the worsening weather conditions, the Jharkhand government has ordered the closure of schools till October 29 in several districts. As per reports, schools will remain closed in Ranchi, West Singhbhum, East Singhbhum and Simdega districts. “In all government, government-aided and private schools operating within Ranchi district, academic activities for Classes KG to 12 shall remain suspended on October 28-29,” an official statement said, as per PTI. The cyclonic storm made landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam as a “very severe” cyclonic storm, packing maximum sustained winds of 125–135 kmph and gusts of up to 150 kmph. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the landfall process began around 1:20 am. Meanwhile, districts including Ranchi, West Singhbhum and East Singhbhum in Jharkhand have been witnessing intermittent rainfall since Tuesday night due to the cyclone’s impact, the IMD said. “The major impact of the cyclone will be visible over Jharkhand between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday,” Abhishek Anand, Deputy Director at Ranchi Meteorological Centre said. He added that light rainfall has been occurring in many districts of the state since Tuesday night due to accumulation of cyclonic clouds. The Odisha government had also announced closures for schools and other educational institutions. Visakhapatnam, Kakinada and Dr B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema districts had announced holidays for October 27 and 28. In Anakapalli, schools are to remain closed till October 29, 2026. As precautionary measure, the South Coast Railway had also announced cancellation of 53 trains, and had established a 24-hour war rooms at its zonal and divisional headquarters to coordinate emergency responses. Passengers were, in the beginning of this week, advised to check official railway announcements before travelling. Additionally, the Andhra Pradesh government has also released Rs 27 crore to 20 districts to support cyclone preparedness and relief operations. Deeksha Teri is currently working as an Assistant Editor at Times Now (Digital), and is primarily covering education and policy from New Delhi, which ... View More