Heavy rain wreaks havoc in Udupi district; Several areas flooded, properties damaged
Udupi, June 16: Udupi district, particularly the Byndoor and Kundapur taluks, witnessed continuous heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours, leading to widespread waterlogging and damage. However, rains eased slightly by Sunday afternoon, bringing some relief and reducing the fear of further flooding. Despite the break, rivers across the district are flowing at full capacity, submerging low-lying areas.
From 8:30 AM on Saturday to 8:30 AM on Sunday, Byndoor and Kundapur taluks recorded 21 cm of rainfall each. The remaining five taluks received between 11 and 13 cm, with the district-wide average rainfall standing at 16.2 cm.
Due to intense downpours in the foothills of the Western Ghats in Kundapur and Byndoor taluks, rivers overflowed and floodwater entered residential areas. In Byndoor taluk alone, 11 people from the villages of Kambadakone (5), Bijur (3), and Herur (3) had to be relocated. According to the District Disaster Management Centre, these individuals have taken shelter with relatives and none have opted for the government-run relief centres.
Over 30 houses suffered damages due to persistent rain and strong winds during the day, with estimated losses exceeding Rs 10 lakh. The damages were reported from Udupi (1 case), Kundapur (13), Byndoor (2), Kaup (4), Karkala (3), and Brahmavar (4), according to a statement from the district administration.
In Shirur, Byndoor taluk, a tree fell on the house of Nagappa Mogaveera, causing damages estimated at over Rs 2 lakh. In Marli, Byndoor, another house partially collapsed due to the heavy rain, with losses exceeding Rs 1 lakh.
In Shirva, Kaup taluk, the house of Gulabi Safaliga suffered damage due to rain, incurring over Rs 1 lakh in losses. In Kundapur Kasaba, Devuraya Sherigar’s home was damaged with an estimated loss of Rs 80,000, while Girija Poojarthi’s house in Kumbashi faced losses around Rs 60,000. In Bola, Karkala taluk, a tree fell on the house of Doddanna Poojari, causing damage worth approximately Rs 50,000.
In Senapura (Kundapur) and Aajri, cattle sheds belonging to Neelu Poojari and Durga Kulal were severely damaged. Across the district, many houses have suffered losses ranging between Rs 10,000 and Rs 30,000.
More Rain Forecast for Coastal Karnataka
The India Meteorological Department has issued a heavy rainfall warning for coastal Karnataka districts, including Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Uttara Kannada, for the next two days (June 17 and 18). Winds are expected to blow at speeds of 40–50 kmph. The weather is expected to ease with moderate rainfall from June 19 onwards.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
