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Cyclonic storm casts dark shadow
over PM's Kerala sojourn

The cyclonic storm hovering around the southern coast is likely to play havoc with the holiday plans of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Kumarakom lake resort in Kerala.

Barring a brief walk along the Vembanad Lake in the morning, the prime minister was confined to his cottage at the Taj Garden Retreat on Wednesday by light drizzles.

The prime minister may not be able to enjoy a boat ride in the lake if the rain intensifies. Weathermen in Trivandrum do not rule out the possibility of heavy rains lashing the southern areas, including Kumarakom in the next couple of days.

Meteorological department director P V Gangadharan said that he would be able to form an opinion on the possibility of heavy rain in the southern districts only after coming to know the direction the cyclonic storm headed for the Tamil Nadu coast is likely to take.

"If the storm enters the Arabian Sea with a speed of 60 to 70 km/hr, heavy rains would lash the southern areas of Kerala," he said.

All the southern districts received light intermittent rain on Wednesday as the storm moved towards Pampan in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. It is expected to move towards Tuticorin tonight. Trivandrum had recorded 4mm of rainfall till evening.

The weathermen have already cautioned fishermen from venturing into the sea until the storm settles down. The rain has also caused problems to the large contingent of security personnel stationed in the tiny village without proper infrastructure for accommodation.

Besides members of the three defence wings and Special protection Group, there are over 1700 Kerala police personnel in the island at present. Many of the security men have been making a beeline to homes of local inhabitants for performing their daily chores.

Lack of adequate eating-places has forced the security men to swarm even toddy shops for their bite.

Meanwhile, the prime minister's office has given appointments to a dozen religious and spiritual leaders for an audience with the prime minister on December 29 and 30, according to Bharatiya Janata Party sources. At the same time, requests from political leaders have been rejected.

The source said that except a meeting with BJP office bearers on December 31, the prime minister will not attend to any other political activity during his stay in Kumarakom till January 1.

COMPLETE COVERAGE
PM's vacation in Kerala

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