New Delhi: A “very severe” cyclonic storm Biparjoy is expected to intensify further in the next 24 hours and will move north-northeastwards bringing heavy rain and strong winds in coastal areas of Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has said.The fishermen in Gujarat, Kerala, and Lakshadweep have also been advised not to venture into the seas. A high alert has been sounded in Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra. A yellow alert has been issued for eight districts of Kerala.“Very severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy at 2330 hrs IST of 9th June over east-central Arabian Sea near lat 16.0N & long 67.4E. Likely to intensify further & move north-northeastwards during the next 24hrs,” IMD said in a tweet.According to the meteorological department, the cyclone is centered about 640 kilometers south-southwest of Gujarat’s coastal Porbandar district. Fishermen have been asked to return to the coast from deep sea areas, and ports were instructed to hoist the Distant Warning signal (DW II).“It may reach South Gujarat on Sunday or Monday. Presently, we are on alert mode and all officials were advised not to leave the headquarter. The SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) teams have been kept on standby mode while people of the coastal village had been alerted. If needed, they were told, they will have to be shifted to safer places,” Surat’s Collector B.K. Vasava told Indian Express.According to ANI, an official from Gujarat said, “We told the fishermen not to venture into the sea and they all have come back. People will be shifted to the village at the seashore if needed. Shelters have been made for them. We have closed Tithal Beach for tourists till June 14.”The cyclone has been named ‘Biparjoy’ by Bangladesh, which means “disaster” or “calamity” in Bengali. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) adopted the name in 2020 for all tropical cyclones that form over the North Indian Ocean, including the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, NDTV reported.