BAGALKOT: A small eatery in a collapsed building at Pattadakalu stands as a reminder of the trail of destruction the recent floods have left behind. An eatery owned by Siddappa S Totager had partially collapsed. Now, he runs it from the same collapsed building.“I was born and brought up in this historical place. In the last 55 years, I have never witnessed such floods,” recalled Siddappa.
The recent floods, which are said to be one of the worst natural calamities in the last century, have devastated entire North Karnataka. Post-floods, people are finding it difficult to get back to normalcy, as they are unable to digest the loss suffered in the last one month.It is not just the story of Siddappa, but also thousands of villagers who are residing in Aihole, Pattadakalu, Kamatagi and hundreds of other villages that lie flooded in the region.
Floods have had a traumatising impact on minds of people as nearly 67,000 hectares of agricultural lands were damaged and hundreds of livestock died and washed away. This devastation has left people without any jobs and they are forced to rely on the `10,000 for their livelihood, which was given by the government to meet monthly expenses.
The government has also assured the flood victims of jobs under various Central and state programmes in the coming days. Meanwhile, weaving machines and pottery fields were also damaged in the floods, which are the only sources of income to many.
These families have urged the authorities concerned to provide separate compensation, so that they can recreate their occupational spaces or buy new machines. It has largely affected Banhatti, Aihole and Kamatagi areas.
Speaking to TNIE, Deputy Commissioner R Ramachandran said, “We will compensate people as per guidelines of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). The preliminary report has been submitted to the government where the revenue loss is estimated at Rs 2,800 crore. The relief work is being done with good pace and a majority of the families have moved to their houses.
Red alert sounded in Kodagu district
Madikeri: A Red Alert has been sounded in Kodagu following heavy rain in the district since Tuesday night. DC Annies K Joy has declared a holiday of educational institutions on Thursday. Following the copious rainfall, the Cauvery river has swollen at Kushalnagar, creating a scare among the residents.