Ranchi/Jamshedpur: With Cyclone Arnab set to make landfall in Andhra Pradesh early on Wednesday and its rain-bearing cloud bands sweeping into Jharkhand, the Ranchi and East Singhbhum administrations have shut all schools from KG to class XII for two days — Oct 28 and 29.The closure covers govt, aided, minority and private schools in both districts. Private institutions, however, may hold examinations already scheduled for these dates, provided they inform the district education officer or district superintendent of education.The Ranchi order, issued by deputy commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri under Section 34 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, came as India Meteorological Department forecast heavy rain, thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds across several districts.Senior IMD Ranchi scientist Abhishek Anand said Arnab, over the west-central Bay of Bengal, was expected to make landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast on Wednesday morning with winds of 130-140 kmph and gusts up to 150 kmph. “While the cyclone’s core will stay away from Jharkhand, its cloud bands are likely to bring widespread rain,” he said.Ranchi, Lohardaga, Gumla, Khunti, Simdega, East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan are expected to receive heavy rain on Wednesday. The weather system’s peak impact in Jharkhand is likely on Thursday. Several western districts are under an orange alert, while Ranchi has been placed under a yellow alert. Surface winds may touch 50-60 kmph on Oct 28 and 29.Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) has deployed eight quick-response teams across four zones and put its sanitation, transport and horticulture wings on round-the-clock alert. Excavators, motor pumps and super suckers have been readied to tackle waterlogging, fallen trees and other emergencies.East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Rajiv Ranjan ordered officials to map vulnerable pockets, keep evacuation plans and relief shelters ready, and maintain emergency power teams. The administration has also advised residents to avoid unnecessary travel and stay away from open fields, trees and electric poles during thunderstorms.Officials in both districts said field teams would remain available through the alert period, with control rooms monitoring rainfall, road conditions, drainage points and reports of damage from residents continuously.Flights and trains in Jharkhand were operating normally on Tuesday. However, railways cancelled several passenger trains through the Odisha-Andhra coastal belt, including the Howrah-Jagdalpur Samaleswari Express, which runs via Tatanagar, Rajkharsawan and Chakradharpur.
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