Kendrapada: Large number of marine fishermen of Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur and other coastal districts have already anchored their fishing vessels at the fishing harbours and jetties due to Cyclone Arnab alert.“On Saturday, we advised all marine fishermen to return towards the coast due to the cyclone warning. The fishery department registered around 20,000 fishing vessels, including 1,700 trawlers, in the state. Many boats already returned from the sea on Sunday. Only those boats that ventured into the sea a few days ago are returning to shore. Through loudspeakers, we are warning fishermen against venturing into the sea. The fisheries department will take action against fishermen who venture into the sea, ignoring adverse weather warnings. We sought help from Indian Coast Guard and marine police to assist fishermen in their return,” said Bibhuti Bhusan Rout, deputy director (marine), fishery department.“Incessant rain and strong winds due to the seven low pressures from July to September forced large numbers of marine fishermen to halt their fishing activities in the sea for around six weeks. Now, Cyclone Arnab is compelling us not to venture into the sea; as a result, the fate of fishermen is now hanging in the balance,” said Prasanna Behera, president of the Odisha Traditional Fish Workers’ Union.Hundreds of fishing vessels have already been anchored at the fishing harbours at Kharinashi, Jamboo, Talachua and other places in Kendrapada district and Paradip harbour.Meanwhile, Arnab has cast a shadow of fear over the centenary year celebration of the week-long Gajalaxmi Puja in Kendrapada that was kicked off on Sunday. “The cloudy sky reflected the sombre mood of hundreds of devotees here on the puja’s first day on Sunday. Due to cyclone warning, puja celebrations would remain largely subdued this year,” said Balabhadra Das, a puja committee member of Tinimuhani locality.Ferry and tourist boat services in Chilika, the biggest brackish water lagoon, stand suspended from Monday. The suspension would continue till Oct 29. The Puri district administration has issued an advisory in this regard.The order has been issued for the safety of people and tourists to Chilika, sources said. The administration has asked police and the respective block development officers and tehsildars to strictly enforce the order. The administration has also directed officials to take strict action against those violating restrictions.While tourist boats are operating from jetties like Barkul, Balugaon, Mangalajodi, Satapada etc., ferry services operate from Jhanikuda in Ganjam district to Satapada in Puri district every day. Over 1,000 boats are operating in the lake from different jetties. Tourists from far-off places visit the lake to enjoy its picturesque scene, bird-watching in Nalaban wildlife sanctuary, dolphins and Kalijai temple etc.“We depend on the sea for our daily earnings. The imminent cyclone forced us not to venture into the sea. We are fishermen; we expect bad weather, but the continuous low pressures and cyclones in the sea ruined our lives,” said Tushakanta Sardar, a marine fisherman of Kharinashi village under Mahakalapada block in Kendrapada district.Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur districts will receive torrential rain and gusty winds due to the impact of Arnab.The unseasonal incessant rain due to the impact of Arnab in the Bay of Bengal will dash the hopes of large numbers of farmers who were expecting bumper paddy crops and add to the woes of the farmers, said Umesh Chandra Singh, a farmers’ leader and the president of the district unit of Krishak Sabha.The district administration is now on high alert. The “Zero Loss of Life” is the mission of the administration during the cyclone. All the 130 multipurpose cyclone shelters are now ready with all facilities and amenities well in advance. People of 373 coastal villages will be evicted to safer places on Monday. An order also has been issued to provide an uninterrupted electricity supply at all the hospitals, said the collector of Kendrapada, Raghuram R. Iyer.