The damage caused by the recent rainfall in the district has been estimated at Rs. 96.07 crore, Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education Kimmane Rathnakar, who is also district in charge, has said.
He was speaking at a meeting convened here on Wednesday to discuss the relief operations taken up in rain-affected areas. Crops on 18,405 acres of land and horticultural produce on 1,042 acres were damaged. The total crop loss was estimated at Rs. 19.44 crore. The loss suffered owing to damage to public infrastructure, which included roads and bridges, was estimated at Rs. 49.33 crore. Mescom suffered a loss of Rs. 7.38 crore owing to damage to electricity poles and transformers. A total of 379 tanks had breached and the loss suffered was estimated at Rs. 12.8 crore, he said. Mr. Rathnakar said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would visit the city on September 4 and would chair a meeting on losses suffered owing to natural calamities in the district. The officials should assess the losses suffered in the district and prepare a report, which would be discussed at the meeting.
Mr. Ratnakar said that Rs. 50 lakh had been released to each taluk to take up relief works of immediate importance. M.B. Bhanuprakash, MLC, told the meeting that roads and irrigation canals in Mandenakoppa, Indira Nagar and Kachinakatte villages had been badly damaged. It was unfortunate that officials had not conducted a survey on the damage.
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K.B. Prasanna Kumar, Shimoga MLA, said the Gopishettykoppa tank in the city had breached and water entered more than 20 houses. He demanded that the officials strengthen the tank bund and construct a drainage system to discharge additional water.