38 people died in Karnataka due to intense monsoon rains, says CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Jul 26: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said 38 people have lost their lives so far due to torrential rains and floods that continue to batter many parts of the state, hampering normal life.
Reviewing the rain and flood situation in the state, the Chief Minister instructed officials to carry out immediate relief and rescue works, and directed them to take necessary precautionary measures aimed at preventing loss of lives.
Siddaramaiah said: "Thirty-eight people have died since June 1 due to monsoon rains so far and 35 are injured. 57 houses are completely damaged, 208 are severely damaged and 2,682 houses are partially damaged, and 105 livestock have lost their lives."
After chairing a meeting of Deputy Commissioners of all districts and Zilla Panchayat CEOs via video conferencing to assess the weather and crop condition in the state, he said agriculture crops covering 185 hectares and 356 hectares of horticulture crops have been damaged; so on the whole, 541 hectares of crops have been damaged due to rains and flooding.
A total of 11,995 electric poles, 894 transformers and 215 kilometres of electric line have been damaged, he said, listing out details of destructions caused to bridges, classrooms, primary health centres among others, and added that "two relief camps have been set up by the government so far where about 50 people are taking shelter".
According to the Chief Minister, in June there was 56 per cent deficit rainfall that had hampered agriculture activities including sowing, but in July the state has received 313 mm rain so far, which is 37 per cent more than normal.
Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu and Bidar have received high rainfall, while it was normal in 21 districts, and fell short in six other districts, he said. More than 80 per cent sowing has taken place in June and July.
According to the Met department forecast, there will be more rains in the next two days and it may continue for a week, he further said. In Cauvery and Krishna basin, all the reservoirs have filled 60-70 per cent, and in a week 227 tmc water have flown into reservoirs.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and several other senior cabinet ministers attended the meeting.
Highlighting that the kin of all the deceased have been given compensation of Rs 5 lakh each, Siddaramaiah said he has instructed to make an estimation regarding the loss of livestocks, damaged houses, and to provide relief, and directions have also been given to make alternate roads available at places where bridges are submerged to ensure connectivity.
Most importantly, instructions have been given to take precautionary measures aimed at preventing loss of lives, he said. Deputy Commissioners of the border districts have been asked to coordinate with officials in the other states to avoid damages caused due to release of water from dams there.
Officials have been asked to ensure that there is no shortage of seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, he said. In case of crop damage due to rains or shortage of rains, farmers should be once again provided with seeds and fertilisers immediately.
Instructions have been given not to go for forcible collection of loan repayments from farmers during the flood situation, the Chief Minister said. If private lenders go for collecting repayments at exorbitant interest rates, strict action should be taken by the police against them.
There should be proper coordination between all departments, he said, adding that it should be to ensure that there is no drinking water problems, especially where there is shortage of rains.
"There are enough funds in the account with all the Deputy Commissioners of all districts -- about Rs 15-20 crore -- and if there is shortage, more funds will be provided," he added.
Siddaramaiah said most likely from Monday, he will travel to rain-affected areas like Mangaluru, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu, and Chikkamagaluru.
Deputy Commissioners should ensure quick repair of damaged hospitals, classrooms, anganwadis, he said, adding, if not done, strict action will be taken.
All officials have been asked to remain in their jurisdictional limits and ensure that they are available to the needy, he added.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
