Mounesh Vishwakarma

Pics: Kishore Peraje

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, May 12: Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts in general, and Bantwal taluk in particular, received heavy rain on the evening of Monday May 11 evening coupled with lightening, thunder, and strong wind. Lightening caused the death of a boy in Panemangalore in Bantwal taluk, while a lady from Kadeshivalya was admitted to hospital after suffering injuries. Over 60 houses suffered heavy damages due to rain.

Abubakker Siddique (16), son of Isubu from Banglegudde in Panemangalore was the unfortunate victim of lightening. When heavy rain started to pound the region at about 4.30 pm, Siddique was standing under a mango tree by the side of his house. Lightening struck the mango tree, which resulted in grave injuries to him. It is gathered that he was immediately taken to a hospital in Thumbe, but by then it was too late.

Abubakker was the last of four sons of Isubu. Isubu, who worked for a bidi industry in Kalladka, is retired now. Abubakker was a tenth standard student of Sharada High School in Panemangalore, and was expecting to get result today. His friends said he had discussed about the result with them on Monday afternoon too. Revenue officials said that they have registered this incident under natural calamity, and recommended for disbursement of four lac rupees as compensation for which the family is eligible.

Both Isubu and his wife are suffering from ill health. Death of their youngest son has shattered the parents and their other children.

Vanita, daughter of Susheela from Keremoole in Kadeshwalya village suffered serious injuries because of lightening. She stands admitted into a private hospital in Kalladka.

District in-charge minister, B Ramanath Rai, zilla panchayat member, Chandraprakash Shetty, taluk panchayat member, B Padmashekhar Jain, and several other dignitaries visited the hospital and grieved the untimely death of the young boy.

Power supply played spoilsport all over the coast due to lightening and strong wind. About 60 houses in the taluk suffered extensive damages, while a house in Anantady village crashed to the ground. Taluk officials have rushed to the spot and assessed losses. They said 21 house suffered widespread damages while one house collapsed. The other houses were partially damaged. Horticultural crops were also damaged in Netlamudnoor and Anantady villages, and the officials have estimated the loss to be around Rs 26 lac.

After a tree fell on the railway tracks at Kuppila on Mangaluru-Bengaluru route, the train service between Mangaluru and Subrahmanya was affected. The locals succeeded in conveying information about fallen tree to B C Road station in time before the train reached the spot, and succeeded in making the train to stop at that station. Later, the tracks were cleared by cutting down the tree.

Movement of buses was affected after an electric pole fell on the road at Punjady in Panjikallu village. The tower of Talapady mosque near B C Road was damaged due to lightening. 21 houses in the region also were damaged. Four houses were damaged in Gandody Parary in B Mooda village after a telephone pole got uprooted.

Traffic jam at B C Road, which is a routine affair, worsened due to heavy rain. As locals held back sand trucks at Ramalkatte, the situation worsened further. The mud heap meant for railway minor bridge flowed down the road after mixing with rainwater, throwing vehicular traffic out of gear. Although BJP leaders had asked highway authority officials last week to immediately reduce the circumference of the circle at B C Road to pave way for smoother traffic, nothing has been done so far.