This story is from June 13, 2019

Cyclone Vayu: 10,000 tourists moved from Dwarka, Diu and Somnath

The state government has undertaken a massive evacuation to move tourists to safe places from the pilgrimage sites of Somnath and Dwarka, in addition to tourist spots such as Diu, as Cyclonic Vayu is set to make landfall near Veraval
Cyclone Vayu: 10,000 tourists moved from Dwarka, Diu and Somnath
Tour operations confirmed that several visitors had checked out of hotels at pilgrimage sites
AHMEDABAD: The state government has undertaken a massive evacuation to move tourists to safe places from the pilgrimage sites of Somnath and Dwarka, in addition to tourist spots such as Diu, as Cyclonic Vayu is set to make landfall near Veraval.
“Some 10,000 tourists have been evacuated in 260 buses from pilgrimage sites and tourist places in Saurashtra,” said state revenue secretary Pankaj Kumar told mediapersons.

Tour operations confirmed that several visitors had checked out of hotels at pilgrimage sites. “Tourists visiting Saurashtra from Mumbai and Bengaluru have already checked out of hotels and moved to Ahmedabad. Hotels have refunded the bookings and some of them offered the option of stays during their next visit,” said Manish Sharma, secretary of the Gujarat chapter of the Travel Agents’ Federation of India (TAFI).
The pilgrimage sites of Dwarka and Somnath were almost deserted. “Temple rituals are going on as usual and we’re monitoring the situation closely. No damage to the temple is likely. All pilgrims have left since Tuesday evening. It is in the public’s interest not to visit the temple due to the impending cyclone. Disaster management personnel have been stationed near the temple,” said P K Laheri, trustee of the Somnath Temple Trust.
Similar the situation at Dwarka is similar. “There are very few pilgrims in Dwarka and everyone has been told to return immediately after offering prayers. An advisory was issued by the local administration. On Tuesday, a special train was arranged from Dwarka to Ahmedabad,” said Dhanraj Nathwani, vice chairman of the Dwarka Devasthan Samiti.
The Sudama Setu bridge has also been closed till June 14, a source in the temple town said.
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