Rain claims two lives

Bengaluru, Apr 25 (DHNS): Unseasonal rain, which continued to lash parts of the State on Thursday night and Friday morning, claimed the lives of two people.

While one person was struck dead by lightning in Hassan district, an elderly woman died of injuries she sustained after a branch of a tree fell on the car she was travelling by in Shivamogga district.

Kishor, a 24-year-old youth, son of Gangadharappa, was struck by lightning at Borehalli village in Gandasi hobli of Arasikere taluk in Hassan district on Thursday evening. The taluk witnessed rain and thunderstorm for more than an hour.

Kishor had been to the farmhouse when the incident occurred. When he did not return till late evening, his parents assumed he might have stayed at his friend’s place. On Friday morning, when his father visited the field, he saw his body there. A case has been registered at the Gandasi police station.

Shivamogga

Moderate to heavy rain, accompanied by thunder and strong winds, pounded several parts of Shivamogga district on Friday evening. The city received heavy rain for more than an hour in the evening.

Several low-lying areas were waterlogged and power supply was disrupted in various parts of the City for hours, as tree branches fell on electricity poles. Movement of vehicles was affected as the branch of a huge tree fell at Raveendranagar, disrupting power supply.

Bangaramma, 62, one of the four people who had sustained severe injuries after a branch of a tree fell on their car at Hunasevalli in Hosanagar taluk on Thursday evening, died at a hospital.

Vast acres of banana plantations were destroyed at Ripponpet in Hosanagar due to strong winds. Hosanagar, Sagar, Shikaripur, Thirthahalli, Bhadravathi and Sorab taluks received moderate rainfall.

Ballari

Ballari, Kampli, Kuragod and Siraguppa taluks in Ballari district witnessed heavy rainfall, with Kampli town recording the highest – 70mm – and the rural areas recording 35mm.

Rain lashed Kudatini, Kuragod, Karuru, Roopanagudi villages. Heaps of harvested paddy were washed away. The rainfall that lashed last week destroyed paddy crops on 1,300 acres of land and the rainfall on Thursday night has left paddy fields inundated. Hosapete, Mariyammamanalli and Sandur taluks experienced light showers. Ballari has received 42mm of rainfall, Kuragodu 44.6mm and Siraguppa 26.96mm.

Raichur

Rain fury in Lingasugur, Sindhanur, Maski and Hatti Gold Mines in Ballari district has destroyed several acres of paddy fields. Tin sheets of several houses were blown away in the gusty winds. Several houses were also damaged.

Paddy crops cultivated on at least 80,000 acres in four hoblis under the Maski Assembly constituency were inundated, after rain, accompanied by hailstorm and thunder, lashed the taluk for more than five hours on Thursday night. Revenue department officials, who inspected the fields, have estimated the crop loss to be in the range of Rs 80 crore.

Gorebaal, Balaganuru, Kundatagi and Gunjalli hoblis in Sindhanur taluk and Haalbhavi, Hirekotnekal and Mallat in Manvi taluk have received heavy rainfall.

Two cows and an ox were killed after lightning struck them in Govinal village of Lingasugur taluk. Paddy crops have been destroyed on a large scale in Lingasugur taluk, too. Several trees were uprooted in Hatti Gold Mines and a house damaged. Raichur City and the surrounding areas have reported torrential rains accompanied by hailstorm and thunder.

Yadgir

Heavy rain lashed Yadgir district on Thursday night, uprooting several trees and electricity poles, thereby disrupting power supply.

Accompanied by gusty wind and thunderstorm, several villages such as Bannetti, Gulbaal, Kuppi, Malanuru, Guddasuguru, Hunasagi and Kamanatagi in Yadgir taluk witnessed hailstorm, too.

Paddy crops harvested across several villages in at least 1,316 hectares in the district were washed away in the rain. Mango growers too are in trouble as the fruits were damaged in the untimely showers.

Thursday’s rainfall has only added to paddy farmers’ woes. The crop loss has been put at Rs 2.43 crore.

State seeks Rs 152 crore to compensate farmers

New Delhi, Apr 25 (DHNS): Karnataka on Friday sought Rs 152 crore from the Centre to provide compensation to farmers, who have lost their crops due to recent unseason rain and hailstorm.

Revenue Minister V Srinivas Prasad and Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda in a memorandum submitted to Union Minister of State for Agriculture Mohan Bhai Kundaria said the State has suffered Rs 425 crore loss due to natural calamity.

Standing agriculture and horticulture crops grown in 64,462 hectares in 8 districts-Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Ballari, Raichur, Koppal, Vijayapura and Gadag- have been damaged.

These affected districts also experienced drought in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Due to unseasonal rain, 14 people have lost their lives and 1,038 houses damaged in this month alone, the memorandum said. Though the State government provided compensation to calamity-hit farmers, the Centre should release more funds under national disaster relief fund to take up further relief programmes.