Udupi: Floods recede with ceasing rains
Udupi: The Udupi district which was affected by heavy rains until last night has found some relief this morning. The flood-affected areas have seen steady withdrawal of rainwater as the torrential downpour has stopped, bringing much relief to the region.
The folks who faced disruption due to yesterday’s floods are now returning home, to resume normal routine, now that the rain has momentarily stopped. Many villages in the four taluks of the district have reported flooding and the flood-affected neighbourhoods are reportedly filled with sludge. Although some families have returned to their homes, others are still seeking refuge in the relief center.
The heavy rainfall from the night before has caused the city’s drains to fill and overflow. However, the water has receded by 50percent at the Bannanje-Garadi roads near the Udupi Mutt.
Udupi district has witnessed unprecedented rainfall over the past two days. Much of the district faced flooding on Sunday. Several regions such as Udupi, Brahmavara, Kaup, and Karkala taluks were affected by the flood.
More than a thousand homes were waterlogged in the neighbourhood. And several hundred homes were damaged in the course of this extreme rainfall. The cow shed owned by Krishnappa Poojary has partially collapsed due to the heavy rains at MatadabettuKopparathota.
Udupi’s Suvarna River, Sita River, and Udyavar’s Paapanaashini rivers were overflowing due to Sunday’s downpour, which resulted in the flooding of areas surrounding these rivers. However, as of today, the water levels of these rivers have decreased and the floods have steadily receded.
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Govt to set up Bureau of Port Security to boost port, vessel security
New Delhi (PTI): To beef up the security infrastructure of ports, the government will set up a statutory body -- the Bureau of Port Security -- that will ensure timely analysis, collection and exchange of security-related information of ports and vessels, officials said on Friday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday convened a meeting for the constitution of the dedicated body, the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS), which was attended by the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, and the Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu, an official statement said.
Emphasising that there is a need to establish a country-wide robust port security framework, Shah directed that security measures should be implemented in a graded and risk-based manner, taking into account vulnerabilities, trade potential, location, and other relevant parameters.
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The meeting also noted that lessons learned from the maritime security framework shall be replicated in the aviation security domain, the statement said.
The new body, modelled on the lines of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), will be constituted as a statutory body under the new Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, and will work under the aegis of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), it said.
Headed by a senior IPS officer as its director general, the BoPS will be responsible for regulatory and oversight functions relating to the security of ships and port facilities.
"During the transition period of one year, the director general of shipping shall function as the director general of BoPS," the statement said.
"The BoPS will ensure timely analysis, collection and exchange of security-related information, with a special focus on cybersecurity, including a dedicated division to safeguard port IT infrastructure from digital threats," it said.
The government has designated the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as a recognised security organisation (RSO), responsible for undertaking security assessments and preparation of security plans for port facilities.
The Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) will train and build the capacities of private security agencies (PSAs) engaged in port security.
"These agencies shall be certified and appropriate regulatory measures shall be introduced to ensure that only the licensed PSAs operate in this sector," the statement said.
