Daijiworld Media Network – Kodagu (DC)

Kodagu, Aug 21: Kodagu district-in-charge Minister S R Mahesh has requested people not to send more relief food material and instead transfer money to the Chief Minister's fund.

The minister speaking to reporters here in district said that there is already enough food material and there is no space left to store more retail stuff.

Following heavy rains and floods across the Malnad region, people from all across the country have been extending their help in the relief operations by sending food items and other essentials.

As many as 12 people have lost their lives due to floods and leaving hundreds homeless. Rescue and relief operations have intensified in rain-ravaged Kodagu.

Earlier on Monday Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy after visiting Kodagu said that the state government has already released Rs 2.2 crore interim relief for 5,800 people rescued from Kodagu. He said that the situation was under control and assured the people battered by floods and landslips of a new life with fair rehabilitation. "The government has initiated steps to pay interim relief of Rs 3,800 per family to 5,800 distressed people in the relief camps," Kumaraswamy said.

Around 1,725 personnel from the Indian Army, Navy, and Indian Air Force (IAF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), state police, National Cadet Corps (NCC), Home Guards and district officials were involved in the relief operations. On a request from the state government, the IAF training command in Bengaluru rushed on August 17 one Mi-17 helicopter for rescue and relief operations.

Due to floods, a total of 5,618 people have been sheltered at 41 relief camps in Kodagu and 340 in three camps in Dakshina Kannada district. According to sources over 845 houses, 123 km of roads, 58 bridges, 278 state-owned buildings and 3,800 electric poles have been destroyed.