Venur: More than 15 families have been evacuated as the Belthangady-Moodbidri State Highway is covered in rainwater, forcing the Moodbidri Police, the linemen and the local youngsters to strive till 3 am on Thursday to ensure the people and their cattle reached safer venues. No casualty has been reported so far.
Rainwater is feared to have entered most of the houses near a temple and a mosque in Maruru village situated within the administration limits of Moodbidri Town Municipality limits, causing heavy losses for the people. The buses in the area were seen stranded in the rainwater near the Venur Church. As the rescue teams successfully continued their operation incessantly, the buses successfully reached the bus stand in Venur at 1.30 am on Thursday.
Farmers too are complaining of losses as an excessively high quantity of water from places like Venur, Hosangadi and Angarakari has slowed on the bridges and dams here and further seeped into plantations and fields situated in several areas. Loss of crop has been reported from Kajottu, Mattu Poocherlekki, Derar, Pade Arladka, Thorpu Anektu Peri, Jangar and Kodamani Kodingeri, as rainwater has entered not only house and huts but also the fields in these areas.
A minor bridge near Maladi Sonandur village of Belthangady taluk also collapsed in the rainwater flurry.
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Karwar (Karnataka) (PTI): Not willing to make any direct statement on whether there will be a chief minister change in the state, Karnataka Deputy CM D K Shivakumar on Friday said that he and CM Siddaramaiah have come to an agreement with the involvement of the Congress high command, and both of them will abide by it.
Stating that Siddaramaiah is CM as per the high command's decision, he clarified that he has never made any comments on the former's tenure.
Siddaramaiah, earlier in the day, had affirmed that he would remain in office for his full five-year term, expressing confidence in the Congress high command's support.
During a discussion in the Assembly on the issues pertaining to North Karnataka's development, Siddaramaiah also said he never mentioned that he was the chief minister for only two-and-a-half years.
"I had never said, he (Siddaramaiah) will not be there (as CM) for five years. I have never said that the high command is not with him. As the high command is with him, he is chief minister today," Shivakumar told reporters here.
Noting that Siddaramaiah is in the post of CM as per the decision of the party, he said, "Both of us have come to an agreement, the high command has got us to an understanding, as per that both of us have discussed and have said several times that we will abide by it and go ahead."
Shivakumar, however, chose not to answer a question, whether there will be a change in the chief minister post or not.
To a question on talks about CM change, he said, "It is you (media) who is talking about it, there is no discussion among us. We will abide by what the party says."
The Deputy CM was on a visit to various temples in the Uttara Kannada district on Friday.
To a question linking his visit to the goddess Jagadeeshwari temple in Uttara Kannada district's Ankola, to his chief ministerial ambitions, Shivakumar said, "I don't want to talk about it, it is between me and the mother goddess. It is between the devotee and the deity. What I have prayed to the goddess and what she told me is between us."
He said, five years ago he had come to the temple regarding some issue concerning his family and his wish was fulfilled. "So I'm visiting the temple as a mark of gratitude and to seek blessings for me, the state and the people who believe in me. I'm going back happily."
