Rain continues in parts of Karnataka; flood situation eases in coastal region

News Network
September 22, 2020

Bengaluru/Udupi, Sept 22: Even though rains continued, the flood situation eased up in coastal, southern and central districts on Tuesday disrupting normal life, an official said.

Kodagu, Shivamogga, Hassan and Chikkamagaluru received 74 mm of rainfall during the last seven days against the normal of 39 mm for the same period, according to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC).

The four districts have received 228 mm of rains for the period of September 1 to 20 against the normal of 114 mm for the same period.

Bhagamandala and surrounding regions in Kodagu – the catchment area for the Cauvery – continued to be battered by heavy rain as a result of which the volume of water in the river increased. The district received 64.19 mm of rainfall for the 24 hour period as against 66.75 mm of rain received on Sunday. Bhagamandala that bore the brunt of nature’s fury last month resulting in a major landslip, continued to receive rains for the third consecutive day.

The district administration was on its toes for the last 48 hours clearing roads blocked by fallen trees and uprooted electricity poles.

The outflow of water from the Harangi reservoir rose to the rate of 11,854 cusecs. The rate of inflow into the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir in the downstream region also increased during the last 48 hours. The water level in the dam was at 124.52 feet against the full reservoir level (FRL) of 124.8 feet. The outflow was increased to 50,000 cusecs from 40,000 cusecs on Tuesday.

Similarly, the inflow into the Kabini reservoir in HD Kote in Mysuru district was at the rate of 28,906 cusecs and the outflow at 35,000 cusecs. The water level in the reservoir was 2283.09 feet against the FRL of 2,284 feet.

Meanwhile, life in parts of the Malnad region continued to be hit by heavy rains. Landslips have occurred at Charmadi Ghat, where travellers had a tough time negotiating deep curves. Continuous rainfall also formed many waterfalls along Charmadi Ghat, prompting travellers to take a break for photos. Rivers are flowing in spate and the inflow at the reservoir has been on the rise.

The rain continued to lash different parts of Chikkamagaluru on Tuesday. The gusty wind uprooted several trees in the Malnad area.

A huge tree, which was uprooted, fell on the road at Kelagooru near Kottigehara blocking the vehicular movement. In Mathikatte, the roof of a house was damaged after a tree fell on it.

Meanwhile, there was a brief respite in the heavy rains that struck Udupi district. But floodwater has still not completely receded in many parts of the district and the full picture of the damages is yet to be known. The Udupi district administration on Monday ordered the temporary closure of Mala-Kudremukh Ghat (NH 169) connecting Karkala with Sringeri/Kudremukh for two days.

A temporary magisterial order issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Udupi Jagadeesh said the ghat section had been witnessing landslips and tree falling since Saturday night following heavy rains. the DC said, adding no one was injured.

Since rain was continuing to pour and there was every chance of fresh landslips and tree falls, the road would be closed till Tuesday midnight, he said.

Meanwhile, district administration estimated suffered loses of more than Rs 100 crores in 2 days.

The district administration has started taking action against spreading of infectious diseases in flood-affected areas.

In many parts of Udupi district, it started raining again from Monday evening.

In Dakshina Kannada district, 32 houses and nearly 199.2 hectares of agricultural land were damaged.

The meteorological department has forecasted heavy rainfall over the next four days. Red, Orange and Yellow alert has been issued for September 22, 23 and 24 respectively in all the three coastal districts.

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News Network
March 25,2024

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Bengaluru, Mar 25: Former Karnataka Minister and mining baron G Janardhana Reddy on Monday rejoined the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The Gangavati MLA, who is an accused in an illegal mining case, had formed the 'Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha' (KRPP) ahead of the state assembly polls last year, snapping his two-decade-old association with the BJP.

Reddy today merged his KRPP with the BJP as he, along with wife Aruna Lakshmi and some family members, joined the party in the presence of its veteran leader and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, state President B Y Vijayendra, and others.

Reddy had recently met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.

However, in the February 27 Rajya Sabha polls he had extended support to the Congress candidate.

Calling it a "home coming", Reddy explained that the move to merge KRPP with the BJP is to "make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister a third time".

"Amit Shah had invited me to Delhi and told me that -- there is no question of extending outside support (KRPP supporting BJP in LS polls) and instead I should join the BJP and work for it, as I took my political birth in the party. Accepting it, I'm joining the party," he said.

Praising Yediyurappa and the leader's contribution in his political growth, Reddy said he is happy that he will be working in the party now with the veteran leader's son Vijayendra.

"I will work as a common party worker along with other leaders under the leadership of Vijayendra. I have not come with any conditions or expectations. Whatever responsibility the party gives me, I will honestly work.

"BJP was always there in my blood, but due to some reasons I had gone out, but today I feel I have come back to my mother's lap. Looking at my brothers here, I don't feel like I'm coming back to the BJP office after 13 years," he added.

Welcoming Reddy back into the party, Vijayendra said his joining will strengthen BJP in the Kalyana Karnataka region.

"Liking Narendra Modi's leadership and accepting BJP's ideology, Reddy has rejoined the party. Reddy has said that Karnataka should have a larger contribution in making Modi PM once again -- to ensure that BJP and JD(S) alliance win all the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state, he is merging his KRPP with BJP and is joining the party," he said.

Before the assembly polls last year, Reddy had been largely politically inactive for nearly 12 years since his arrest by the CBI for an alleged role in a mining scam. During this period, he had a brief stint ahead of the 2018 assembly polls when he campaigned for his close friend and former Minister B Sriramulu in Molakalmuru Assembly segment.

In the run up to the 2018 assembly polls, the then BJP national president Amit Shah, in response to a reporter's question, had distanced the party from him and stressed that "the BJP has nothing to do with Janardhana Reddy." Accused in a multi-crore illegal mining case, he has been out on bail since 2015. Several conditions were imposed by the top court in its order which includes prohibiting him from visiting Ballari in Karnataka and Ananthpur and Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh.

Because of these restrictions, he had to contest the 2023 Assembly polls from Gangavati in Koppal district.

Expressing his displeasure about the way BJP had ignored him, Reddy had announced a new party last year and also took a dig at his brothers -- Karunakara Reddy and Somashekar Reddy -- and Sriramulu, as they remained with the BJP.

The three of them had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly polls, with Reddy's new party said to have impacted their performance in the election.

Sriramulu, a ST community leader and former Minister is now the BJP's candidate from the Bellary (Ballari) Lok Sabha constituency.

Reddy had played an instrumental role in strengthening the BJP in the Ballari district and is still believed to enjoy a considerable clout there as well as in adjoining districts like Chitradurga, Koppal and Raichur, which could be useful for the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls.

Reddy and his brother-in-law B V Srinivas Reddy, managing director of Obalapuram Mining Company (OMC), were arrested by the CBI on September 5, 2011.

The company is accused of changing mining lease boundary markings and indulging in illegal mining in the Ballari Reserve Forest area, spread over Ballari in Karnataka and the Anantpur district of Andhra Pradesh.

Reddy first came to political limelight during the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, when he campaigned for BJP leader, the late Sushma Swaraj, who had contested against Congress' Sonia Gandhi from Ballari.

Former Congress Minister T John's son Thomas John also joined the BJP today.

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News Network
March 26,2024

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Mangaluru: Officials from Cyber Economic and Narcotics Crime Police Station in Mangaluru have arrested a man for allegedly engaging in an online fraud by deceiving a person on the pretext of offering a part-time job. The arrested is Saddam Gauri alias Bavuri, 30, from Rajasthan.

City police commissioner Anupam Agrawal said the CEN police received a complaint regarding an online scam related to a part-time job offer.

Police registered a case under sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act, along with IPC Section 420. The complainant had received a link via WhatsApp from an unknown number, purportedly offering a part-time job opportunity.

Upon clicking the link, the complainant was instructed to complete certain tasks to earn money. However, during the process, the complainant incurred a loss of Rs 1.1 lakh.

Following an investigation into the matter, the CEN police successfully arrested the suspect and presented him before the court. In the course of arrest, police seized two mobile phones, eight debit cards, four bank cheque books, Aadhaar card, PAN card, and other relevant documents from the accused.

The arrest was made possible through the efforts of CEN station inspector Shyam Sundar and his team, under the guidance of City Crime Records Bureau (CCRB) ACP Ravish Nayak and DCP Siddharth Goyal.

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News Network
March 15,2024

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Bengaluru, Mar 15: Work from home to using toilets in malls, residents of India's 'Silicon Valley' Bengaluru are exploring all options to combat the unprecedented water crisis. People across various neighbourhoods have been forced to order food from restaurants and take bath on alternate days due to the water scarcity.

Even those in high-rise apartments equipped with water harvesting systems now find themselves reliant on water tankers for basic needs, leading to stringent usage restrictions.

Eateries are mulling over use of disposable cups, glasses and plates to avoid excess use of water.

Educational institutions are also feeling the pinch. Recently, a coaching centre in the city asked its students to attend classes online due to an 'emergency' for a week. Similarly, a school on Bannerghatta Road was also closed, asking students to attend classes online just like they did during the Covid pandemic.

Residents have come with up new methods to try and conserve water. With temperature rising, it is difficult to avoid a daily shower but they are left with no option but to take bath on alternative days, said Sujatha, a resident of KR Puram.

"What to do? Clean vessels, cook food, wash clothes....so, we have started using paper plates, that way we have cut down on our water usage. And we order food twice a week. We are using the washing machine only once in a week now," she said.

Some others have resorted to visiting a mall to take a shower or use the toilet facilities.

Lakshmi V, an IT professional living in Singasandra, has been requesting her firm to allow WFH option so that she and her family can temporarily shift to her native place in Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu until the situation becomes better.

"If the situation persists, we are thinking of seeking a work from home option. We are planning to move to our native place in Tamil Nadu temporarily till rain arrives here," she said.

Bengaluru primarily gets its water supply from two sources - Cauvery river and groundwater. For most non-drinking uses, recycled water processed by sewage treatment plants is used. With no rain for a while now, the primary sources have been stretched to their limits. Bengaluru needs 2,600-2,800 million litres of water daily, and the current supply is half of what's required. The result is a daily struggle for the city's residents.

The brunt is also being borne by people living in the outskirts of Bengaluru, especially in 110 villages that were merged with the city in 2007.

The crisis has also turned into a political battle between the state's ruling Congress government and the opposition BJP with Lok Sabha just weeks away. While the BJP has held several protests blaming the government, the Congress has accused the BJP-ruled federal government of not providing financial assistance to drought-hit Karnataka.

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