86 taluks of state drought-hit: R.V. Deshpande
‘Crops worth Rs 8K crore damaged due to scanty rainfall’
Bengaluru, September 11: Revenue Minister R.V. Deshpande said that the state government has declared 86 taluks in 16 districts which received scanty rainfall in this season as per the guidelines of 2016.
After holding a Cabinet Sub-Committee meeting to review the drought relief works and take a stock of the present situation at Vidhana Soudha here on Tuesday, the Minister said that 89 taluks have received scanty rainfall. As per the central government’s guidelines, the area should receive less than 60 per cent rain against the average rainfall, dry weather for more than three weeks, less than 75 per cent sowing of overall target, satellite-based crops analysis, less than 50 per cent humidity and water resources index of reservoirs and ground water level should be taken into consideration while declaring any taluk as drought hit. The monsoon which entered the state by May 30 has covered the entire state by June 8. But only Malnad and Coastal districts have received heavy rains and remaining places like north and south interior districts of the state were hit by the drought situation, he said.
From June 1 to September 6, the state has received 721 mm rainfall and this was 2 per cent more than the average rainfall. But in this period, 88 districts have received scanty rainfall and Sindhanur taluk in Raichur has suffered with complete drought situation, he said.
There was dry spell for more than three weeks in 104 taluks, lack of humidity in 115 taluks, less than 75 per cent sowing in 44 taluks, crop loss in 119 taluks and groundwater was depleted in 35 taluks, he said.
Crops worth Rs 8k cr damaged
Due to lack of sufficient rainfall, agriculture and horticulture crops grown in 15 lakh hectares of land were damaged incurring a loss of Rs 8,000 crore. Because of the drought situation, drinking water and fodder scarcity was cropped up and this has affected the rural employment opportunities, he said.
Due to heavy rainfall in Malnad and Coastal region, Rs 3,705 crore worth properties and crops were damaged. A delegation led by Chief Minister H.D Kumaraswamy which met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday appealed him to release Rs 1199.89 crore to take up relief measures, he said.
Drought-hit taluks
Bengaluru Rural- Hosakote, Ramanagar- Channapattana and Kanakapura, Kolar- Bangarapete, Kolara, Maluru, Mulabagilu and Srinivaspura, Chikkaballapura- Bagepalli, Chikkaballapura, Chintamani, Gauribidanur, Gudibande and Shidlaghatta, Tumakur- Chikkanayakanahalli, Gubbi, Koratagere, Kunigal, Madhugiri, Pavagada, Sira, Tipatur and Tumkur, Chitradurga- Challakere, Chitradurga, Hiriyur and Molakalmuru, Davangere- Harapanahalli and Harihara, Chamarajanagar- Kollegala and Yelandur, Mandya- Malavalli, Maddur, Mandya, Nagamangala and Srirangapatna, Bellary- Bellary, Hadagali, Hosapete, Hagaribommanahalli, Kudligi, Sandur and Siruguppa, Koppal- Gangavathi, Koppala, Kushtagi and Yelburga, Raichur- Devadurga, Lingasugur, Manvi, Raichur and Sindhanur, Kalaburgi- Afzalpura, Chincholi, Chittapura, Kalaburagi, Jevargi and Sedam, Yadagiri- Shahapura, Shorapura and Yadagiri, Bidar- Bidar and Humnabad, Belagavi- Ramdurga and Savadatti, Bagalkote- Badami, Bagalkote, Hunagunda, and Jamakhandi, Vijayapura- Basavanabagewadi, Bijapura, Indi, Muddebihal and Sindhagi, Gadag- Gadag, Mundaragi, Raragunda, Rona and Shirahatti, Haveri- Ranebennur, Dharwad- Hubballi and Navalagunda, Hassan- Arsikere, Belur, Channarayapatna and Chikmagalur- Kadur taluks were declared as drought affected, Deshpande said.
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'Someone must be held accountable': HC converts civil suit on Goa nightclub tragedy into PIL
Panaji (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit against Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) saying "someone has to be held accountable" for the tragedy in which 25 people were killed.In a stern observation, Goa bench of the High Court of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Ashish Chavan said the local panchayat had "failed to take suo motu cognisance" of the club and had taken "no action despite complaints."
The division bench directed the Goa government to file a detailed reply on the permissions granted to the nightclub.
The High Court, while fixing January 8 as the next date of hearing, pointed out that commercial operations were continuing in the structure despite it having been served a demolition order.
The original petition was filed after the December 6 tragedy by Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, the owners of the land on which the nightclub was operating.
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Advocate Rohit Bras de Sa, the lawyer representing the petitioner, was made amicus curiae in the matter and has been asked to file a detailed affidavit in the matter.
In their petition, Amonkar and Divkar highlighted "the alarming pattern of statutory violations that have remained inadequately addressed despite multiple complaints, inspections, show-cause notices, and even a demolition order".
They contended that these violations posed "immediate threats to public safety, ecological integrity, and the rule of law in the state of Goa."
Investigations by multiple agencies into the nightclub fire have revealed various irregularities, including lack of permissions to operate the nightclub.
The Goa police arrested five managers and staff members of the club, while co-owners Gaurav Luthra and Saurabh Luthra have been detained in Thailand after they fled the country.
