Cyclone Nisarga to hit Maharashtra, Gujarat coast

New Delhi/Mumbai:Maharashtra and Gujarat are bracing up to face cyclone 'Nisarga' that is set to make landfall on Wednesday afternoon.

With a red alert warning for Mumbai, Thane and Palghar issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), authorities began evacuating hundreds of vulnerable dwellers near the sea in Mumbai and thousands in coastal districts around it.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray postponed 'Mission Begin Again,' the easing of the Lockdown from today by two days and asked citizens in the city and the coastal districts to stay indoors on Wednesday and Thursday.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) took stock of the preparedness in both Maharashtra and Gujarat and assured all help to the coastal states.

IMD had warned of extremely heavy rainfall, wind speeds of 100-110kmph and storm surges of about 1-2 meters above the astronomical tide.(UNI)