BELAGAVI/BENGALURU: Helplessness and despair seems to be overwhelming mood in many parts of the state reeling under the fury of the floods even as rescue efforts are being doubled up using all available resources. The situation in North Karnataka, specially Belagavi district, remained grim.
The flood fury has so far claimed 17 lives in different parts of the state. On Thursday, a 12-year-old girl has washed away while crossing a stream in Belagavi, while an 18-month-old boy accidentally fell into the swollen Nethravathi river in Mangaluru.
In all,16 districts have been affected by heavy rain and flooding and the administration has sounded a ‘red alert’ in nine districts. With continuous rain and release of water into Krishna river from reservoirs in Maharashtra, Belagavi has been the worst-affected. Army and NDRF personnel have rescued several persons, including a couple stuck on a tree for three days after their house was washed away and their village marooned.
Union Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha on Thursday reviewed the flood situation in Karnataka through video-conference with State Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar and other senior officers. During the discussion, Vijay Bhaskar explained the situation and measures being taken by the state government. Karnataka also sought four more teams of NDRF to bolster rescue operations.
Two military helicopters were kept on standby to assist rescue operations in Belagavi district. On Thursday morning, 12-year-old Shilpa Siddappa Manguli was crossing a stream at Nagara Munnolli near Athani when she was swept away by the gushing waters. Her body is yet to be traced.
In Dharwad district, a person driving a goods vehicle was washed away by floods. In all, eight people have died in Belagavi, five in Shivamogga and three in Dharwad districts apart from the infant in Mangaluru.
Several places in Dharwad, Raichur, Vijayapura, Uttara Kannada, Hassan, Kodagu and Shivamogga districts were inundated.
In Uttara Kannada district, most parts of the Kaiga township was submerged in the Kali river water, but power production at Kaiga Atomic Power Station was not affected. Meanwhile, train services between Mangaluru and Bengaluru have been cancelled due to landslides at Subrahmanya Ghat Road and Sakleshpura stretch.
In Uttara Kannada, most parts of the Kaiga township was submerged in the Kali river water, but power production at Kaiga Atomic Power Station was not affected. Train services between Mangaluru and Bengaluru have been cancelled due to landslides at Subrahmanya Ghat Road and Sakleshpura stretch.
In Belagavi, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said government will require about Rs 5,000 crore to provide compensation and take up rehabilitation works. The CM has constituted four teams, including one headed by him, to visit affected areas and prepare a report that will be given to the Centre on August 11. The other three teams are headed by senior BJP leaders former CM Jagadish Shettar, former Deputy CM K S Eshwarappa and MP Shobha Karandlaje.
The CM said as the rescue operations were becoming difficult in several interior areas of Athani and Chikkodi taluks in Belagavi district, two helicopters have been deployed for operations. Yediyurappa said he will hold talks with his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis to find a lasting solution to the recurring floods along the border.
The incident in which 14 persons died while being taken in a small boat to a safer area at flood-hit Brahmanal in neighbouring Sangli district has created panic among the people in Belagavi.
The situation in the flood-ravaged Gokak and Khanapur towns remained pitiable on ednesday as hundreds of people stranded in flooded homes and business establishments were still waiting to be evacuated. At Teerth village near Athani, a rehabilitation centre was inundated, forcing a large number of people who were put up there to move out.
In 20 villages in Gokak region which are totally marooned, rescue teams were struggling to evacuate the affected people. According to sources, more than 106 villages in Belagavi district are marooned, but a large number of affected people are yet to be evacuated.
According to Inspector General of Police Raghavendra Suhas, 27,000 people have been evacuated in the last one week from flooded areas of Belagavi. Across the state, over 40,000 people have been evacuated.
hotel.’’ Many other BJP leaders had also ridiculed the then CM Kumaraswamy for staying in a five star hotel, while going on his Gramvastavya (village stay) visits alleging that it was all just an eyewash.