CM Siddaramaiah orders relief operations as Krishna, Bhima rivers flood Kalaburagi region
Bengaluru/Kalaburagi(PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday gave a slew of directions to top officials in view of the worsening flood situation along the Krishna and Bhima rivers in Kalaburagi, Bidar, Yadgir and Vijayapura districts.
Heavy rainfall in Kalaburagi, combined with the release of large volumes of water from Maharashtra’s Ujani and Neera reservoirs, has put several low-lying villages, including Bennethora, at risk of rising waters.
The Chief Minister directed Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, and the Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner to maintain strict vigilance and ensure rapid deployment of rescue and relief efforts.
Stressing that the response must be direct and personal, he told officials that the Deputy Commissioners and Panchayat Chief Executive Officers (CEO) of the four north Karnataka districts should personally visit the flood-affected areas and take emergency measures.
Siddaramaiah further called for accountability at the state secretariat level, a statement issued by his office said.
“The District In-Charge Secretaries must immediately visit the districts, review the situation, and instruct the district administration to take necessary steps," he said in a meeting with the officials where Gowda and Rajneesh were also present.
He underlined the need for inter-departmental coordination, insisting that the Secretaries of the Rural Development Department and the Additional Chief Secretaries of the Water Resources Department must visit the location.
As reports of waterlogging, inundated fields, and cut-off roads continued to arrive from Kalaburagi, the CM made it clear that human and animal lives were paramount.
“Precautionary measures must be taken so that there is no loss of human lives, livestock, and animals,” he said.
To address the hardships of displaced families, he ordered that relief centres should be arranged for the affected people, and adequate fodder must be provided for the animals.
District officials, acting on these instructions, have begun moving vulnerable families to safer shelters. Rescue teams equipped with boats are patrolling flood-hit areas while schools and community halls are being converted into temporary relief camps, sources in the revenue department said.
Villagers, many of whom are farmers, have voiced concerns over their crops and livestock, they added.
With the reservoirs in Maharashtra continuing to discharge water, officials warn that the crisis could escalate if rainfall persists in the upstream catchment areas.
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Maoist carrying bounty of Rs 15 lakh among four killed in gunfight with security forces in J’khand
Hazaribag (PTI): Four Maoists, including one carrying a reward of Rs 15 lakh on his head, were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district on Friday, police officials said.
The encounter took place in the Khapia forest area within the Keredari police station limits, following a tip-off.
"Four Maoists were killed in a gunfight with joint forces in 'Operation KotiNeer'. The Maoists killed have been identified as regional committee member Sahdeo Maho, carrying a reward of Rs 15 lakh, Ranjit Ganjhu, Zonal committee member, carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh," IG, CRPF, Saket Kumar Singh told mediapersons.
The remaining two are Area Commander Budhan Karmali, carrying a reward of Rs one lakh and sub-zonal committee member Natasha, a woman who hailed from Gadchiroli in Maharashtra.
SDPO of Barkagaon, Pawan Kumar, said that no security personnel were injured in the operation.
The Maoists killed were wanted in about 80 cases.
With the encounter, only 57 Maoists are left in the state, the IG said.
A number of arms were also recovered during the operation including two AK 47 and one INSAS rifles.
The development comes close on the heels of a fierce exchange of fire between a Maoist squad headed by Misir Besra, who carries a bounty of Rs 1 crore, and police personnel on April 15 in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum. Four security personnel were injured in the encounter.
The Centre has already informed the state governments that there are no Naxal violence-affected districts in the country, more than five decades since Left Wing Extremism (LWE) originated in India.
The declaration followed a high-level security review held earlier this month by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the mandated 'National Policy and Action Plan to Address Left Wing Extremism' formulated in 2015.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed Parliament on March 30 that India was free from Maoists.
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