Cyclone Montha: Hotels In Odisha's Gopalpur Asked To Shut For 3 Days

Berhampur: With cyclone Montha likely to pound heavy to very heavy rain in south Odisha, the district administration of Ganjam on Monday has ordered all hotels in Gopalpur to remain closed for three days and cancel all bookings.

Officials said District Collector Keerthi Vasan issued an order instructing hotel owners and managers to cancel all visitor bookings from October 27 onward. The hotel authorities have also been asked to implement necessary precautionary measures to ensure the safety of guests, staff, and property.

Non-compliance of these instructions will be viewed seriously and dealt with as per the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the order said.

Though Montha is likely to make a landfall in Andhra Pradesh as a severe cyclonic storm, many parts of south Odisha districts, including Ganjam, are expected to be lashed by heavy to very heavy rain under its influence.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange warning for October 27 and a red warning for October 28 for Ganjam district, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall and extremely heavy rainfall, respectively.