Bhubaneswar: With impending Cyclone Arnab expected to make landfall near the Andhra Pradesh coast on Oct 28 and impact south Odisha with heavy rain and gusty winds, the state govt on Saturday activated its full disaster-response apparatus, cancelling leave for employees of key departments and placing agencies on high alert.President Droupadi Murmu, meanwhile, postponed her scheduled Odisha visit on Oct 28 and 29 amid the cyclone threat, officials said.Schools, colleges and anganwadi centres will remain closed on Oct 28 and 29 in Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri districts, which are expected to bear the brunt of the storm. Collectors in other districts have been authorised to take a call on educational institutions depending on the evolving situation.After reviewing preparedness at Lok Seva Bhawan, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the state govt was fully prepared to tackle the cyclone. “Departments have been assigned specific responsibilities and our primary objective remains zero casualties,” he said.IMD Bhubaneswar director Manorama Mohanty said the cyclonic storm is most likely to strike the Andhra Pradesh coast, though its exact track and intensity would become clear over the next few days.According to IMD, the system is expected to intensify into a deep depression on Oct 25 and a cyclonic storm by Oct 26 over the west-central Bay of Bengal. It is likely to move west-northwestwards and approach the Andhra Pradesh coast on the morning of Oct 28.The weather office has forecast isolated extremely heavy rainfall over coastal Andhra Pradesh on Oct 27 and 28, and over Odisha and Telangana on Oct 28. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is also likely over Odisha on Oct 27 and 29.Around 60 ODRAF teams, 17 NDRF teams and 225 fire service units have been kept on standby. Govt has readied cyclone and flood shelters and directed officials to shift vulnerable people, including patients and pregnant women, to safe locations.Fishermen have been advised against venturing into the sea, while health authorities have been asked to stock medicines, medical kits and anti-snake venom in vulnerable areas. Engineering departments have been placed on alert for immediate restoration of roads, power supply and other infrastructure.Deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo said leave of employees in the energy and agriculture departments has been cancelled. He said power distributor Tata Power has been directed to remain prepared for possible damage to poles and transformers, particularly in south Odisha, and restore supply swiftly in the event of disruptions.Ganjam collector Keerthi Vasan V too has directed to cancel leaves of govt employees and asked them to present their respective workplaces till Oct 29. He has also directed to prepare all cyclone shelter centers and temporary shelter centres.Inputs by Hrusikesh Mohanty