Two swept away, one killed in house collapse as rain and flood fury continues in Karnataka
Bengaluru: Two people, including a 16-year-old-girl, were swept away and a man was killed when a house collapsed in rain and flood related incidents in different parts of Karnataka, officials said on Wednesday.
Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre official told PTI the girl went to wash clothes in a river near Malakanahalli in Ranebennur Taluk of Haveri district on Sunday and was swept away by the strong current.
"Search is going on by the Fire and Emergency Services Department and Police department," the official said.
There were reports of a shepherd being swept away in the Krishna river in Raichur while a man died in house collapse at Sadalga village in Chikkodi Taluk of Belagavi following rains.
According to reports, bodies of two women were found in Jurala dam on Krishna river in Telangana.Search is continuing for two other women. It is suspected that they were from Raichur in Karnataka.
Since August 1, at least 19 people have lost their lives and 63 cattle's have died in rain and flood-related incidents. The state government has opened 104 relief camps across the flood hit areas where 3,810 people are staying.
According to the information received, a majority of rivers in the state are in spate for the last few days.
The floodgates of all the important dams in the Krishna river basin have been opened in North Karnataka leading to flooding in Belagavi, Bagalkote, Gadag, Koppal, Davangere and Raichur districts in north Karnataka. In Kodagu district in South Karnataka, the originating point of Cauvery, the rain fury continued on Wednesday as well.
According to the KSNDMC, Malaprabha, Ghataprabha, Markandeya, Krishna and Bhima rivers were in spate.
Reports said that due to floods in Malaprabha river, the Cholachagudda Bridge was submerged in Bagalkote district.
At least ten people, most of whom are shepherds, were reportedly stranded in Madaragadda in Lingasugur Taluk of Raichur district. In Anegundi in Gangavathi Taluk of Koppal district, the Sri Krishnadevaraya Samadhi (tomb) was partially submerged.
Rain and thunderstorms are very likely to occur at most places over coastal Karnataka and at a few places over Interior Karnataka in the next 24 hours, the KSNDMC said in a statement.
The KSNDMC said that since August 1 about 5,500 houses have been damaged including 216 completely.
The rains damaged crops in at least 60,000 hectares in the state. It also hit horticulture crops in about 50,000 hectares.
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Kharge has put 'full stop' to leadership speculation in Karnataka: Minister Parameshwara
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Friday said AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge has put a "full stop" on the issue of leadership change in the state.
Kharge's statement has a lot of significance and there ends the matter for now. Everyone in the party should respect and accept this, he said.
Parameshwara was referring to Kharge's statement on Thursday that there was no chief minister change in Karnataka "for now" and that the leadership issue in the state will be resolved soon.
Kharge's statement came amid speculation within the party and political circles about a possible decision on leadership change and cabinet reshuffle after May 4, once the results for assembly elections in four states and one union territory, along with bypolls to two assembly segments in Karnataka, are announced.
"Mallikarjun Kharge is our party's national president. He has a lot of experience. Several people, including me, have said that in the case of change (in leadership), if he (Kharge) comes (as CM), no one could speak in front of his experience and everyone would accept it. While replying to it, Kharge said that there is a chief minister now, and there is no question of change as of now," Parameshwara said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "I welcome his (Kharge) statement because I feel he has expressed his opinion after a discussion involving him, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala (both AICC general secretaries). I may be right or wrong. I feel that his statement has a lot of significance. So that matter ends there for now."
Responding to a question on repeated statements by several party leaders regarding leadership change, the home minister said, what the AICC chief has said on the matter is final. It should be respected and accepted by all in the party. There is no meaning in interpreting it further.
"I cannot respond to what others say, but I can say my opinion. In my opinion, the AICC chief is the supreme authority in the party. He, along with Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, are our high command. If the high command has said something, we should both respect and accept it. There ends the matter," he said.
Kharge has put a "full stop" on the issue, he further said, adding that, "When he has said there is no change. It is a full stop."
Responding to a question on Parameshwara's recent statement about Kharge becoming chief minister, the AICC chief on Thursday said, "You (media), he (Parameshwara), and people at the top say that it is better if I become CM. But more than fate, as per my ideology and my service to the party so far, Sonia Gandhi makes decisions regarding me."
He had further said, "But that question does not arise now. There is already a CM here. If Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and I together have to take any decision in that direction, it will take some time. Let's wait and see."
Kharge on Friday too said no date has been fixed yet to discuss a possible leadership change in Karnataka.
Supporters of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar have been insisting on his elevation in line with a reported power-sharing agreement with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah when the party won the 2023 Assembly elections. Some have even claimed that "sweet news" is expected by May 15, which is Shivakumar's birthday.
The leadership tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculation about a possible change of chief minister after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025.
The speculation has been fuelled by a reported "power-sharing" arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar at the time of government formation in 2023.
