Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (NR/MB)

Mangalore, Aug 11: The district minister-in-charge minister B. Nagaraja Shetty chairing a district level natural calamity relief review committtee meeting on rain-damage held at the DC’s office here on Friday, 10 August instructed departments to adopt a  revised list prepared by the Central Ministry of Home Affairs while releasing reliefs to victims of natural calamities.

As per the rain damage figures given, the district has undergone a loss of Rs. 24.62 crores du e to the rains. Ten persons have died and 2 people injured in rain and wind related incidents during the monsoons 2007.

The said information will be given to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy today, when he will carry out an aerial survey of the flood affected areas of Dakshina Kannada district. Shetty informed that this was the first time in the district, in at least last ten years that the damage had been so widespread and extensive.

Shetty expressing his doubts, while speaking to the media persons after the meeting said that he was not sure that the reach of the relief machinery was fool proof in the district. He opined that there were some grey areas where the flood relief had not been reached in time or in sufficient quantity. He referred to some flood affected areas, especially in connection with the electric grid power to the villages and towns where the power had disrupted due to rains.
 
Further the minister directed the MESCOM officials not to rest till they reconnect the last and remotest village with power and drinking water. The MESCOM officials informed him that there were some 60 transformers lost in the district and over 2000 poles in the recent rains out of which 48 transformers have been replaced and 99% of the poles have been replaced.
 
Shetty also instructed officials to prepare a detailed report on the losses in the district in horticulture and agriculture field, so that the compensation could be fixed on different levels when calculating the crop losses. The officials told him that the areca and coconut plantations have sustained extensive damages and the areca plantations have been infected with some plant diseases.

Further officials reported that out of the total losses the district has suffered Rs. 26.62 crores, the share of the losses sustained by the infrastructure has been estimated at Rs. 14.31 crores and roads in Mangalore taluk having sustained maximum damage with 250.21 kilometers of road being either washed off or developing severe pot holes; the said damage has been estimated at Rs. 5.76 crores.   A total of 642.92 kilometers of roads have sustained damage in all the five taluks, the officials added.
 
Zilla Panchayat president Sushma Janardhan, deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada M. Maheshwara Rao and district in charge secretary Bharatlal Meena and CEO of the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat K.M. Kunjappa were also present at the meeting.