The district administration-organised Independence Day celebrations were held amid rain at Mahatma Gandhi Bayalu Ranga Mandira here on Thursday.
There was a drizzle when the national flag was unfurled and during the parade. But it started raining as soon as the Deputy Commissioner, Hephsiba Rani Korlapati, who hoisted the national flag, started reading her speech. But the rain did not dampen the spirits of either the students or the people, who w ere present till the function ended. The cultural programmes were cancelled as there was water on the ground.
In her speech, Ms. Korlapati said that importance was being given to rainwater harvesting as Udupi district has faced drought in the past two years. The summer this year had seen acute water scarcity in the district. Though the district received heavy rain during monsoon, it faced water shortage during summer. “This is a matter of grave concern. It is the responsibility of every citizen to give importance to rainwater harvesting. The district administration will also give priority to the rejuvenation of lakes and ponds,” he said.
She said that road accidents have increased in the district and many a time, it is youngsters who are killed in these accidents. The district administration has taken up a campaign on road safety in the district and awareness programmes have been held in schools. People should be cautious while driving and should cooperate with the authorities to reduce road accidents, she said.
Rain damage
There has been a lot of damage to property and loss of l ife because of monsoon rains in the district this year. The kin of three deceased have been given a compensation of ₹5 lakh each, the DC said.
As many as 548 houses were damaged, while the damage to agricultural and horticultural crops together is estimated at ₹41.19 lakh. The government has released a grant of ₹5 crore for monsoon-related work, she said.
K. Raghupati Bhat, MLA, Dinakar Babu, president of Udupi Zilla Panchayat, Nisha James, Superintendent of Police, Sindhu Rupesh, CEO of the ZP, and Vidya Kumari, Additional DC, were among those present.
