Madikeri, August 23: The district administration has said that due to heavy rains, landslides and flood situation, total nine persons were killed and nine others were missing and 5512 people were taking shelter in various relief camps in the district.

In an official statement, the deputy commissioner said that Garuda Force, Mountaineering NCC teams, NDRF, Civil Defence, Indian Army, Indian Navy, Police teams and fire brigade teams have rescued the people trapped in the landsliding, floods and rains and shifted them to the relief camps opened in different parts of the district.

So far, 54 relief camps were opened in the district. Of them, 14 camps were closed as the affected people have been to their relatives’ homes. Currently, 20 camps in Madikeri taluk, 15 in Somawarpete taluk, and five in Virajpete taluk are functioning. Two more relief camps were functioning at Arantodu Tekkil  Hall and Kallugundi in Dakshina Kannada district and total 5512 people were given shelter in them, the DC said.

As on Thursday afternoon, total nine persons were died and nine others missing in the rain-related incidents in the district. The District Minister has reviewed the relief measures and directed the authorities to take up relief works properly. Following this, total four godowns including one each in Kushalnagar and Ponnampete and three in Madikeri were opened to store the materials donated by the people. The materials would be distributed later, DC Srividya said.

Thousands of people have lost their houses and sites. Now, the government has decided to sanction the houses under the Housing Schemes to the victims. Such houses would be sanctioned directly to the victims. But before that, temporary rehabilitation centres would be set up, she said.

No misuse of materials

People and organizations have been responding positively to help the people of Kodagu. Now, food items and other materials were reaching the district. Those materials were being stored in the district administration bhavan, APMC, government school, Kushalnagar APMC and other places. Such stored relief materials would be sent to the relief camps through gram panchayats. But it was mentioned in the social media that the relief materials were being misused. It is just a rumour. It is far from truth.  A case was registered against this in the police station. Police officers were directed to take action against those who spread such falls messages, the DC said.



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Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.

Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.

Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.

An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.

The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.

A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.

Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."

"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.

"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.

A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.