, Oct. 27 -- India has shifted about 50,000 residents to temporary shelters on Monday, launching large-scale evacuations ahead of Cyclone Montha, which is strengthening over the Bay of Bengal and expected to lash the eastern coastline with fierce winds and heavy downpours, according to officials.

Authorities have suspended holidays for emergency personnel and instructed schools and colleges to shut in coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha that are projected to experience severe weather conditions.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the system could escalate into a severe cyclone by Tuesday before making landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast later in the day.

"Evacuation of people from near the coast in Kakinada d...