Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a high-level meeting to review India's preparedness for Cyclone Biparjoy and the situation concerning it. The extremely severe cyclonic storm is expected to cross Saurashtra and Kutch between Mandvi in Gujarat and Karachi in Pakistan near the Jakhau Port by Thursday noon.

During the meeting, PM Modi told officials to take every possible measure to ensure that people living in vulnerable locations are safely evacuated. He also asked them to ensure the maintenance of all essential services such as power, telecommunications, health and drinking water, with preparedness for their immediate restoration in the event of damages.

He also directed that the safety of animals should be ensured and that control rooms should function 24x7. The Ministry of Home Affairs also announced that it is reviewing the situation 24x7 and is in touch with the state government and Central agencies.

The National Disaster Response Force has pre-positioned 12 teams equipped with boats, tree-cutters, telecom equipment and more. Fifteen teams have been kept on standby.

The meeting took place in Delhi around 1 pm on June 12 and the prime minister was briefed about efforts undertaken to mitigate the impact of Cyclone Biparjoy during it.

Visuals of the meeting chaired by PM Modi to review the preparedness to tackle the impact of #CycloneBiparjoy. pic.twitter.com/Tm8XIlnXlJ

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 12, 2023

The meeting was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister PK Mishra, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba and other senior officials.

During the meeting, a presentation revealed that Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Junagarh and Morbi are likely to experience wind speeds of 125-135 km/h gusting up to 145 km/h on June 15 from morning to evening.

The remaining districts along and off the Saurashtra coast will see wind speeds of 55-65 km/h gusting to 75 km/h on Thursday. North Gujarat and Rajasthan will experience wind speeds of 45-55 km/h gusting to 65 km/h on June 16 from morning to evening.

For live updates on Cyclone Biparjoy, follow CNBC-TV18's blog here.

Heavy rainfall is expected in the coastal districts of Gujarat, including extremely heavy rain in Kutch, Devbhumi Dwarka and Jamnagar. Heavy to very heavy rain is expected in Porbandar, Rajkot, Morbi and Junagarh from June 14-15.

Fishing activities along the south and north coasts of Gujarat have been suspended, and authorities are evacuating residents in coastal districts due to the expected landfall of Cyclone Biparjoy as a very severe cyclonic storm along the Saurashtra-Kutch coasts.

Officials reported that around 1,300 people have already been relocated to safer areas in coastal Devbhumi Dwarka.

Evacuations have also begun in Pakistan, where authorities are moving people from the low-lying coastal areas in the southern Sindh province. Section 144 has been imposed in Karachi, and entry to the port city’s beaches is banned.

Indian Coast Guard and the Navy have deployed ships and helicopters for relief, search and rescue operations. Air Force and Engineer task force units of the Army, with boats and rescue equipment, are on standby for deployment.

Also read: Due to heatwave and Cyclone Biparjoy schools shut in these states

Surveillance aircraft and helicopters are carrying out serial surveillance along the coast. Disaster Relief teams (DRTs) and Medical Teams (MTs) of Army, Navy and Coast Guard are on standby.

The prime minister was also briefed about measures taken by the Gujarat government to deal with Cyclone Biparjoy. Review meetings with the district administration have been held at the level of chief minister and the entire state administration machinery is geared up to meet any exigency situation, the Prime Minister's Office said.

According to the latest bulletin from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the "extremely severe cyclonic storm" Cyclone Biparjoy is very likely to cross between Mandvi (Gujarat) and Karachi (Pakistan) near Jakhua Port by noon on June 15. It is expected to be a "very severe cyclonic storm" with maximum sustained wind speeds of 125-135 km/h gusting up to 150 km/h.

With agency inputs.

(Edited by : Ayushi Agarwal)