Bangladesh cancels weekends, holidays for officials following cyclone alert

DHAKA, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) — As part of its preparations in the wake of severe cyclone Titli, the Bangladesh government Thursday cancelled weekends and holidays for all public servants in the country’s coastal districts.
Relief and Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya told reporters that ample measures have already been taken to deal with any impact of the cyclone in the coastal districts.
Although Titli has already made landfall in eastern Indian state of Odishar, coastal Bangladesh districts and parts of the country, including the capital Dhaka, have still been experiencing rains and gusty winds.
A bulletin of Bangladesh Meteorological Department issued Thursday said the severe cyclonic storm moved north-northwestwards and crossed Odisha-Andhra coast of India near Gopalpur in the morning of Thursday.
It is likely to move north-northwestwards further inland and weaken gradually, said the bulletin.
Under the influence of the severe cyclonic storm, it said steep pressure gradient persists over North Bay, and deep convection is taking places over North Bay and coastal area of Bangladesh.  Enditem