Cyclone Montha makes landfall; Andhra, Odisha bore the brunt
_vb_98.jpeg)
Amaravati/Bhubaneswar (PTI): Severe Cyclonic storm Montha on Tuesday crossed the coast off Andhra Pradesh, causing disruptions in the southern state, while the impact was also felt in neighbouring Odisha, where normal life was affected in 15 districts.
The landfall process started around 7 pm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, adding that the weather system in the Bay of Bengal will cross Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada.
It will cross with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90 to 100 kmph and gusting up to 110 kmph.
Under the influence of the severe cyclonic storm Montha, which means a fragrant flower in Thai, Nellore district in Andhra recorded the highest amount of rainfall on Tuesday.
A woman died at Makanagudem village in Konaseema district as an uprooted palmyra tree fell on her due to gales, a police official told PTI.
Due to the impact of the cyclone, standing crops in as many as 38,000 hectares in Andhra Pradesh were destroyed and also horticulture crops in 1.38 lakh hectares.
Nearly 76,000 people were shifted to relief camps while the government arranged 219 medical camps at various places. It also arranged 865 tonnes of animal fodder keeping the cyclone in view.
The government has decided to suspend the movement of vehicles on roads in the cyclone-affected districts, including Krishna, Eluru and Kakinada from 8:30 pm tonight to 6 am on Wednesday. Emergency medical services will be exempted.
Indian Railways cancelled, diverted and rescheduled multiple coaching trains across the Waltair Division of East Coast
Railway Zone on Tuesday. Similarly, the South Central Railway (SCR) Zone cancelled 120 trains in total on Monday and Tuesday, said an official.
All 32 flight operating out of Visakhapatnam Airport were cancelled on Tuesday owing to the severe cyclonic storm Montha.
Likewise, the Vijayawada Airport cancelled 16 flights, but managed to operate five flights.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said 3,778 villages were forecast to receive heavy rains.
Trees which collapsed due to Montha cyclone were cleared in several districts, along with sanitation work and efforts to ease rain water flow.
In Odisha, Montha brought heavy rain in coastal and southern districts, causing landslides and damaging houses besides uprooting trees, officials said.
The preliminary reports of damages were received from eight southern Odisha districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Kandhamal, Kalahandi and Nabarangpur.
Normal life, however, was affected in a total of 15 districts in the region.
A report from Anaka Gram Panchayat in Gajapati district said big boulders fell from nearby hills, blocking roads to five villages.
"The place was earlier identified as landslide landslide-prone area. Therefore, arrangements have been made for early clearance of the blockade," said Balakrushna Mallick, a local panchayat functionary.
Trees were uprooted in Gunupur, Gudari and Ramnaguda areas of Rayagada district.
A report from Mohana in Gajapati district said a mud-walled house collapsed due to incessant rains, injuring one person. The tin roof of a house in the area was blown away in strong winds, an official said.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi reviewed the state's preparation for the possible impact of the storm.
He said that over 2,000 cyclone shelters were set up to accommodate the affected people and the government has set the "Zero Casualty" goal.
The CM said 153 rescue teams (over 6,000 personnel) comprising personnel of NDRF, ODRAF, and Fire Service are positioned at vulnerable places across the eight southern districts and responding to the situations.
The administration has already announced the closure of schools and anganwadi centres in nine districts till October 30. The leave of government employees has also been cancelled till October 30.
The administration has also sealed all beaches to prevent tourists and local people from entering the shores, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) D K Singh said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Siddaramaiah in 'helpless situation', under some 'compulsion', claims Cong MLA Rajanna
_vb_05.jpeg)
Bengaluru (PTI): Amid claims that Siddaramaiah's confidants are being targeted within the ruling Congress in Karnataka, following recent actions against some party leaders, senior MLA K N Rajanna on Friday alleged that the chief minister is "helpless" and under some "compulsion" as he is not standing up to defend his people.
The comments from the former minister, who is considered close to Siddaramaiah, came after Congress took action against some of its minority community leaders--considered close to the CM--following allegations of an internal conspiracy against the party candidate in the Davanagere South bypoll held on April 9.
Rajanna himself was sacked from the Ministry last August on the instructions of the party high command, following his alleged comments criticising top party leader Rahul Gandhi's "vote theft" charge.
"There will be vested interests in the party who will try to conspire against those who have been loyal to the party and want the party to grow for the welfare of the people. Nothing can be done about it. What we expect from our chief minister is that when such a situation arises, he should stand strong, but he is not standing and that is a sad thing," Rajanna said in response to a question whether Siddaramaiah's followers were being targeted in Congress.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "... I don't know what his thinking is. But we did not expect such a helpless situation from Siddaramaiah."
When asked who had made Siddaramaiah helpless, the former minister said, "I won't say who, you understand it yourself."
"People are saying that those close to Siddaramaiah are being targeted...I don't know what compulsions Siddaramaiah has. If he tells, we can know, but he won't say. I don't know under what compulsion he is following this neutrality," he said, adding that the CM is helpless and a person becomes "helpless" when his/her voice shrinks.
The Congress recently suspended MLC K Abdul Jabbar from the party's primary membership and relieved another MLC Naseer Ahmed from the post of chief minister's political secretary. This action came after a group of Muslim leaders accused members of their own party of "conspiracy" to defeat the official candidate in Davanagere South.
Following the action against Jabbar and Naseer Ahmed, speculation is that Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan may also face action during the next cabinet rejig, as these three wanted a Muslim to get the bypoll ticket in Davanagere South, which the party gave to the late MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa's grandson Samarth Mallikarjun. They also did not actively participate in campaigning.
Citing a Kannada saying that there is no punishment for the mistakes committed by the King, Rajanna, in what seemed to be a veiled dig at Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, asked, "Does sharing a stage with a person (referring to Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev) who said, 'Who is Rahul Gandhi? I don't know,' not amount to indiscipline?"
Referring to AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge's statement on whether poverty could be ended by taking a dip in the Ganga at Prayagraj, he said, "...but this person (again referring to Shivakumar) goes there and compliments UP CM Yogi Adityanath for arrangements made for the Kumbh Mela. He also goes to Ambani family marriage, while Rahul Gandhi did not even accept the invitation."
"I'm not saying that action should be taken against this person too, but the party will have to observe these things also," he added.
Rajanna further pointed out that no action was taken when veteran Congress leader and late MLA from Davanagere South Shamanur Shivashankarappa made a speech seeking votes for BJP candidate B Y Raghavandra during Shivamogga Lok Sabha polls, and asked if this did not amount to indiscipline.
"The same people were at the helm then (referring to Shivakumar as KPCC chief), even a verbal warning was not given to him (Shivashankarappa)," he said, adding that, similarly no action was taken when Samarth Shamanur filed his nomination in Davanagere South before the party announced its candidate for Davanagere South-- that was also an act of indiscipline.
_vb_92.jpeg)
_vb_68.jpeg)