Madikeri: Kodagu District has been battered by nature’s fury consecutively since the last two years and it looks like there is no immediate sign of relief from this misery. Nature is posing challenging questions year-after-year and the State Government and the District Administration are finding it  extremely difficult to find solutions to this nature’s onslaught. As a result, properties, agriculture, horticulture, cattle and people are all become victims every year.

This year too, there the District has suffered losses worth crores of rupees. It looks like the relief operations can commence only after rain relents. Landslides, uprooting of trees, damages to roads and highways are all common and various Departments have suffered huge losses.

In this year’s nature fury, 16 lives have been lost and four have gone missing. The dead victims’ families have been disbursed Rs.5 lakh as compensation amounting to Rs.65 lakh, while there is confusion in three cases identifying the dependents of the victims’ families and hence the compensation has been withheld.

Meanwhile, the search by the local administration for missing persons in Virajpet Taluk’s Thora Village where the Manipare Hill collapsed is still continuing and it is proving a futile exercise. In the light of this, the District Administration has sent a proposal to the State Government that the four missing persons have been declared dead and compensation amount of Rs.5lakh each must be paid to the victims’ families.

House damages: Due to torrential rain, floods, landslides and other causes, a total of 2,068 houses have been damaged. Out of this, 363 houses in three taluks have suffered extensive damages, 643 houses have sustained about 25 per cent to 75 per cent damages. A total of Rs. 2.58 crore has been disbursed so far for 1,032 houses at the rate of Rs.25,000 per house, while Rs. 1.23 lakh at Rs. 4,100 per hut has been disbursed.

The responsibility of disbursing Rs. 1 lakh each to remaining 643 houses and Rs. 5 lakh each to 363 houses has been entrusted to Rajiv Gandhi Rural Housing Corporation Limited. This work is progress, informed the District officials. Apart from this, steps have been take to provide victims’ families a minimum of Rs.5,000 as rent allowance for ten months.

Relief Centres: 11 Hoblis, 54 villages and a total of 119 places have suffered extensive damages. About 8,211 people were provided shelter at 50 relief centres. After the rains subsided there are only two relief centres at Hudikeri and Karadigodu where 212 victims are taking shelter.

 Materials worth Rs. 4.18 crore that includes groceries, medicines and Rs.10,000 each have been disbursed to about 4,148 shelter-less people who have returned to their homes. Nearly 76 cattle heads have also lost their lives, rains and landslides. A total of Rs.10.72 lakh has been disbursed as relief.

Crop loss: Agriculture and horticulture crops grown in 1,18,975 hectares of  land have been destroyed thus resulting in a loss of Rs.266.52 crore and it is said that the loss will go up further. Even to this day it is raining heavily in many parts and the crop loss is increasing. Already applications are being received and in the coming days, more information on the losses will be known.

Besides, many Departments have suffered losses including PWD, Panchayat Raj Engineering Division, Rural Water Supply, Minor Irrigation, CESC, Urban Development Department, National Highway Roads, Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board and Major Irrigation Department.

The total losses have been estimated at Rs. 332 crore. Money has been released to these Departments to take up urgent works.

Overall, the people in the District have become victims of nature’s fury since the last two years which is also reflecting on the severe economic conditions as the lives of agriculturists and horticulturists are in total disarray. The reality is that it will take quite a long time for the District to return to its glorious days of the past.

By Prasad Sampigekatte