Yediyurappa reviews flood situation, says adequate measures taken to protect flood-hit people
Bangalore: In the wake of an unprecedented flood situation, triggered by heavy rains, emerging third time in Karnataka within a span of three months, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday said Rs 85.5 crore has been released and rescue equipment supplied to the affected districts.
The government today transferred an input subsidy of Rs 36.57 crore to the bank account of 51,810 flood-hit farmers.
According to a government report, Kalaburagi, Bidar, Yadgir, Ballari, Raichur, Bagalkote, Davangere, Koppal, Dakshina Kannada, Shimoga, Udupi, Vijayapura, and Belgaum districts are the worst affected due to rains caused by the upper air depression over the Bay of Bengal.
The Chief Minister held a review meeting through video conference with the deputy commissioners and chief executive officers of district Panchayats of 12 districts in North Karnataka, which are severely hit by the floods.
Yediyurappa told the officials to prepare an action plan to carry out relief operations on a war-footing and deal with the flood situation effectively.
He also asked them to provide a realistic picture of the floods.
In view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Chief Minister said all standard operating procedures, as has been laid down by the government, should be followed while evacuating people to safety.
There should be regular visits of doctors to the relief camps to check the spread of COVID-19.
He also instructed the officials to protect livestock and arrange fodder.
The officials present during the meeting told the Chief Minister that 12 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, including six additional NDRF teams from neighboring Pune and Chennai, have been deployed.
Three teams have been assigned to Kalaburagi, two to Yadgir, and one to Raichur.
The officials also apprised Yediyurappa of the deployment of helicopters.
The government on Friday transferred and input subsidy of Rs 36.57 crore to the bank account of 51,810 flood-hit farmers.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
