With the year's first cyclone Asani brewing over the Bay of Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands MP Kuldeep Rai has urged Lieutenant Governor Admiral (Retd.) D. K. Joshi to put the disaster management machinery on high alert. He also urged Mr. Joshi to declare a holiday on March 19 and 21 in all schools and colleges. March 20 being Sunday is also a holiday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast that the low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal will become well-marked by March 20 morning and turn into a cyclonic storm on March 21.
