BENGALURU: Normal life was thrown out of gear in Ramanagara district after a breach in Bakshi lake resulted in the flooding of Bengaluru-Mysuru Express Highway and railway tracks. Hundreds of houses were damaged, food grains and standing crops destroyed and thousands of livestock killed due to the impact of heavy rain. Motorists taking the highway had a tough time and a private bus carrying passengers was stranded on the highway.
“An NDRF team comprising 25 personnel has been deployed for rescue operations, five relief centres - four at Channapatna and one in Ramanagara - are being set up.
About 900 people are being served food in relief centres since Saturday,” said Dr Avinash Menon Rajendran, Deputy Commissioner, Ramanagara district. Train services were partially affected as some trains were delayed but resumed later after water was drained out from Ramanagara and Channapatna stations, he said.
113 houses damaged in Ramanagara town
CM Bommai flew to Ramanagara by a chopper and visited flood-hit areas. He inspected the damage caused due to breaching of Bakshi lake, in Maruthi Extension. From there, he walked on the railway track and met affected people.
Bommai was informed that two lives were lost, 2,222 houses, including 113 in Ramanagara town, were partially damaged, water gushed into 3,863 homes and over 5,000 livestock lost. Crops on 600 acres plain land and 500 acres of horticulture farms were damaged. “Since there are no guidelines on compensation for losses at the silk cocoon reeling factories and residential houses, it will be taken up as a special case and compensation will be given,” he said. He asked officials to relocate 50 SC/ST families whose huts at Gandhi Grama village were damaged and build pucca houses.
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