Kodagu frightened for gusty wind, hundreds of trees uprooted
Electric poles and houses damaged
Madikeri: The Kodagu district is literally frightened because of the gusty wind for the last three days. Before coming back to normal situation due to heavy rainfall for the last two weeks, the people are worried about the wind.
In rural areas, hundreds of trees were uprooted. As the trees fell on electric lines, several electric poles, transformers and even some houses were damaged. The normal life has affected due to power disruption. Major rivers and streams in the district are in spate due to rains with gusty wind. People have been suffering due to cold wave.
Loss incurred
As heavy downpour coupled with gusty wind lashed Suntikoppa and surrounding areas on Saturday night and Sunday, trees were uprooted and electric poles were damaged. Several houses were also damaged. Vehicular movement was hampered in several villages as the trees fell on the roads. Many villages do not have power supply for the last fifteen days. Because of the fear of falling trees, labourers keep themselves inside the houses.
When a tree fell on the house of retired teacher MG Ganapathi at Mallur village in Nakur Shirangala gram panchayat limits, the house roof was damaged and his wife Rukmini sustained head injury in the incident. She was admitted to a private hospital in Mysuru. A Maruti Omni and a bike were also damaged as a shed was damaged due to tree falling in the same village and loss was estimated at Rs 2 lakh.
Wall and the roof of the houses belonging to Ramesh Poojary and Shivaram of Schoolbane in Kodagarahalli gram panchayat limits were damaged when a huge tree fell on them. But no casualty was reported. The roof of another house belonging to waterman Manju was also damaged due to tree falling and the loss was estimated at Rs 50,000. Another house belonging to Muttappa on Madapura road was also damaged when a rosewood tree fell on it. Though the family members were inside the house, no casualty was happened. Trees were also fallen at Kambibane and the officials visited the spots and verified it.
Electric poles and electric wires were damaged at Suntikoppa town, Madapura road, Chettalli road, Nakuru, Kodagarahalli, Kambibane, Kallur, Herur, Horur, Haleri and Kandanakolli roads as huge trees fell on them, incurring loss worth lakhs. Traffic movement on these roads was also affected. Trees were uprooted at Chettalli, Siddapura and Kadagadalu.
As a huge tree was uprooted near MLA Appachchu Ranjan’s house near Madapura, a Madikeri-Somawarpete KSRTC bus escaped in a whisker and a possible tragedy was averted. There were more than 30 passengers in the bus which rammed into a roadside bridge and stopped when the tree fell on the road.
One Omni car was damaged and three passengers inside the car also sustained minor injuries when the branches of a tree fell on it near Kajur on Madapura road. A transformer was damaged when a tree fell on it near Madapura. Now, the tree is being lifted and power line is also being repaired. But the heavy rain is obstructing the relief work.
MLAs visit affected areas
Madikeri MLA MP Appachchu Ranjan visited the rain-affected areas in Somawarpete taluk on Sunday and inspected the damage. He also directed the officials to repair the damaged transformers and electric poles to resume power supply as early as possible.
Meanwhile, Virajapete MLA KG Bopaiah also visited the rain-affected place on Mangaluru road and inspected.
Loss worth crores
The district has incurred loss of private and public properties worth crores in the rains that lashed the district for the last two weeks. Majorly, the MESCOM and PWD have incurred heavy loss. Paddy fields were marooned in the rainwater. With the fear of fungal disease, coffee plantations were also damaged due to tree falling. Tourism and business have affected considerably due to heavy rains. The people and organizations urged the central and state governments to provide more compensation to the district.
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.
Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
