Ahead of a scheduled missile test by the DRDO, the Balasore district administration on Thursday temporarily evacuated 11,442 residents from 11 hamlets located within a 3.5-km radius of Launch Pad-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha, officials said.
While the administration did not disclose details of the missile or the nature of the test, residents were urged to cooperate in the interest of national security.
The evacuated people have been accommodated at multipurpose cyclone centres at Bardhanpur, Bhimpur and Tundra villages, and at the Nidhipada Sevasram, a revenue official said.
"Food, drinking water and other essential services are being provided to the evacuees. They are also being given remuneration for the day," the official said.
The residents had also been shifted from their homes on Wednesday and were allowed to return in the evening after the scheduled exercise.
"The evacuation has been carried out as a precautionary measure in consultation with DRDO," the official said.
Fishermen operating along the coast of Balasore, Bhadrak and Kendrapara districts have also been advised not to venture into the sea during the day as a safety precaution, he added.
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