Central teams assess damage to crops, property in Dharwad, Gadag districts

Various places in the two districts have suffered damage due to heavy downpour

Central team members during their visit to Harobelavadi and Amminabhavi villages in Dharwad district on Tuesday.

Central teams of inter-ministerial officials on Tuesday visited various places in Dharwad and Gadag districts that have been affected by heavy downpour and floods and collected information on the loss and damage caused to crops and property. The teams interacted with officials and also residents.

In Dharwad district, Deputy Commissioners of Dharwad and Belagavi Nitesh Patil and M.G. Hiremath, respectively, welcomed a Central team comprising Director from the Directorate of Oil Seeds Development R. Manoharan and Superintending Engineer of Ministry of Water Resources J. Guruprasad near the damaged bridge at Haro Belavadi on Saundatti-Dharwad State Highway and briefed them about the situation. They were accompanied by MLAs Amrut Desai and Anand Mamani.

The team then visited the farmland of Ishwar Shivalli where onion crop has been damaged due to floods in the Tuppari Halla. Later, it went to the farmland of Anwar Noor Ahmed Amminabhavi and Chandrashekhar Shindhe in Amminabhavi village. The team visited the farmland of various farmers before proceeding to Alnavar town and surrounding places where flood waters have caused extensive damage.

First, the team visited Indirammana Kere which has suffered damage due to heavy downpour. Officials told the team members that a ₹ 4.5-crore comprehensive project had been prepared to prevent loss caused by heavy rain every year. The team inspected the extensive damage caused and water wastage due to a breach in the Dougi Nala in Alnavar and also the veterinary hospital at Aravatagi.

In Gadag

Another team comprising Superintending Engineer from the Regional Office of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Sadanand Babu and Undersecretary from the Ministry of Rural Development V.P. Rajavedhi began its visit in Gadag district from Konnur village before going to Lakamapur and surrounding villages. Deputy Commissioner of Gadag Sundaresh Babu briefed the team about the loss and damage.

Meanwhile, KPCC media analyst Pandurang Neeralakeri submitted a memorandum to the team on behalf of the KPCC and urged the team members to recommend adequate compensation to the affected families and farmers. A permanent solution to floods caused due to a spate in the Tuppari Halla and the Benni Halla should also be recommended in the report, he demanded.

Mr. Neeralakeri, however, was upset with the way the visits were planned. “The team seemed to be focussing more on damage caused to public property rather than getting details on the problems being faced by farmers due to crop loss. The team should have actually visited Navalgund taluk where extensive crop loss has occurred due to floods, but it did not,” he told presspersons.