Six people have died and over 11,000 houses have been damaged in rain-related incidents so far in Karnataka’s Kodagu district, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said on Saturday. He announced Rs 5 lakh compensation for those who lost their houses in floods, reported ANI.
Kumaraswamy said the situation was under control as the district administration were taking proper care. “Nearly 60 people are stuck in a village in Kodagu and the Indian Army has reached there,” ANI quoted him as saying. “We are arranging helicopters but the weather is not allowing us to fly.”
Over 1,000 personnel from defence and disaster relief forces are carrying out rescue operations in the district, which is likely to receive heavy rainfall till Tuesday morning, according to the India Meteorological Department.
Several people are still missing after floods and landslides. The district borders Kerala, which is facing its worst floods in a century.
Kumaraswamy will visit the district later on Saturday to review relief operations. The Indian Air Force is airlifting those stranded and is dropping relief material, he said, according to ANI. Rescue teams comprise personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, the Navy, the Army, the Fire Department, Home Guards and the National Cadet Corps, said Kumaraswamy.
The government has asked banks to stock up ATMs and officials to start repair work on damaged roads. Several officials from other parts of the state have been sent to Kodagu, Kumaraswamy said. The rescue operations are expected to get over by Saturday evening, state minister Sa Ra Mahesh told ANI earlier in the day.
The Madikeri-Mangaluru national highway near Jodupala was destroyed by flash floods and landslides, according to Kodagu Connect.
The Centre has assured the state government of help, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. The Indian Army had joined rescue operations on Friday. Twelve of the Indian Navy’s expert divers, a 31-member team of the National Disaster Response Force, and a 30-member State Disaster Response Force team are among those taking part in the operation.
Around 873 people were rescued till Friday evening. Additional Deputy Commissioner Praveen Kumar told The Hindu that many villages were still cut off because of landslips, but 1,500 people had been evacuated to relief centres so far. The district administration has set up 20 relief centres.
Six trains originating from Bengaluru were partially or completely cancelled owing to rain and landslides in several places between Donegal and Shrivagilu railway stations, The News Minutereported. Subramanya Road in the Ghat section of Mysuru division has also experienced inclement weather.
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation has cancelled all bus services from Bengaluru to Kerala, except the buses travelling to Palakkad, in view of the rains and flooding in that state. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation has also cancelled all bus services to Bengaluru.
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