Cyclone Montha: AP imposes night curfew, bans vehicle movement in 7 coastal districts

As Severe Cyclonic Storm (SCS) Storm Montha approaches the Andhra Pradesh coast, the state government has imposed strict restrictions — including a night curfew and a complete ban on vehicular movement in several coastal districts — to safeguard lives and minimize damage.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed on Tuesday evening that the landfall process of Storm Montha has begun and will continue for the next three to four hours. The cyclone, moving north-northwestwards at around 15 kmph over the west-central Bay of Bengal, was centred at 4:30 pm about 50 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam, 130 km south of Kakinada, and 230 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam.

To prevent accidents and ensure safety, the Andhra Pradesh government has banned all vehicular movement, except emergency services, across seven coastal districts — Krishna, Eluru, East Godavari, West Godavari, Kakinada, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema, and parts of Alluri Sitarama Raju (Chinturu and



Rampachodavaram divisions).

The ban is in effect from 8:30 pm on October 28 to 6:00 am on October 29, with police instructed to halt all road traffic, including national highway movement.

A night curfew has also been enforced across the cyclone-affected districts as a precautionary step. Only emergency medical and essential services have been exempted. The Director of the Information and Public Relations Department, Vijayawada, issued the order, urging citizens to stay indoors, follow official advisories, and remain alert to updates from the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS).

According to the IMD, Storm Montha intensified into a Severe Cyclonic Storm on Tuesday morning and is expected to make landfall between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, near Kakinada, later tonight. Wind speeds may reach 90–100 kmph, gusting up to 110 kmph, accompanied by heavy to very heavy rainfall across Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and northern Tamil Nadu.