The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) on Monday met and reviewed the preparedness of the Gujarat government and central agencies for the impending Cyclone Biparjoy and assured the state of all help.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea and those at sea have been called back to safe berth, an official statement said.

A total of 21,000 boats have been parked so far and a list of all vulnerable villages has been prepared for the purpose of evacuation, it said.

The India Meteorological Department's director general briefed the NCMC, chaired by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, about the current status of extremely severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy over the east central Arabian Sea, according to the statement.

The cyclone is very likely to move northward till Wednesday morning and then cross Saurashtra and Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts between Mandvi (Gujarat) and Karachi (Pakistan) near Jakhau Port (Gujarat) by Thursday noon.

By that time, it will downgrade to a very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 125-150 kmph, the statement said.

The chief secretary of Gujarat apprised the NCMC of the preparatory measures being taken to protect the population in the expected path of the cyclonic storm and measures being taken by the local administration, it said.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.