Floods hit North Karnataka; CM Yediyurappa to undertake aerial survey
Bengaluru, Aug 4: Hundreds of villages in North Karnataka were inundated following release of over 2 lakh cusecs of water from Koyna dam in neighbouring Maharashtra on Sunday and torrential rainfall in the region prompting the administration to rope in the Army for relief works.
Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa reviewed the situation in the region and would undertake an aerial survey of the affected areas on Monday, officials said.
So far, no loss of life has been reported, official sources said adding the administration was on alert.
At least, five districts Belagavi, Bagalkot, Raichur, Vijayapuram and Yadgir have been badly affected by the swollen Krishna river, Malaprabha, Markandeya river and a few other rivulets.
"Belagavi, Bagalkot and Raichur are badly hit. Certain parts of Vijayapura and Yadgir too are affected.
While Army's assistance has been taken in Belagavi, National Disaster Relief Force, State Disaster Relief Force and local police are toiling hard in all five-flood affected areas," Director of Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), G S Srinivasa Reddy told PTI.
Yediyurappa, on Sunday, took stock of the situation through video-conference with officials, Reddy said adding he (Yediyurappa) instructed them to set up relief centres with adequate basic requirements for the flood-hit people.
Five major dams in Maharashtra were filled to the brim, following which excess water was released.
In the last three days, surplus water was being released from Koyna dam built across Koyna river, which is a tributary of Krishna river that courses through five districts of Karnataka before entering neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
Officials in the Karnataka Water Resource department said at least 2.4 lakh cusecs of water was released from Koyna dam on Sunday and there was a likelihood of more quantum being let out from the dam.
The KSNDMC Director also said water level in at least three barrages and Almatti dam across Krishna river reached its full level, prompting authorities to discharge excess water.
"The inflow of water in Almatti is about 2.24 lakh cusec while 2.5 lakh cusecs of water is being released," he said.
People living in flood prone areas along Krishna river have been shifted to safer places.
Roads have been inundated, while in some places railway tracks were damaged due to soil erosion in Belagavi district.
Besides, standing crops were completely submerged in the floods.
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Kerala court sentences man to life imprisonment for doc's murder in hospital
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Kollam (PTI): A teacher convicted in the sensational murder of Dr Vandana Das inside a hospital here was sentenced to life term on Saturday, and the prosecution said it will move an appeal seeking death penalty for the accused. The victim's family also batted for "maximum punishment".
Dr Das was brutally killed inside a taluk hospital in May 2023 by G Sandeep.
Kollam Additional District and Sessions judge P N Vinod sentenced Sandeep to a total of 30 years for various offences under the then Indian Penal Code (IPC) and said that after he serves that period, his life imprisonment for Das' murder will commence.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 2.35 lakh on the convict.
Though the prosecution had sought death penalty for the accused during the arguments on sentence, the court was of the view that the case does not fall under the rarest-of-rare category to warrant the maximum punishment.
It was also of the view that there was a chance of the convict getting reformed as he told the court that the rest of his life would be one of repentance, the order on sentence said.
"At the same time, I agree with the stand of the prosecution to the effect that the sentence should commensurate with the gravity of the crime and the sentence should not only be reformative, but should also have a deterrent effect."
"In my view, the said objective can be achieved by directing that the term sentences that will be imposed will run consecutively and life sentence that has to be imposed will commence only after the expiration of terms sentences," the judge said.
After the verdict, special public prosecutor (SPP) Prathap G Padickal told reporters outside the court that he will recommend to the prosecution to file an appeal seeking enhancement of the life imprisonment to death penalty.
The victim's father said that the verdict has come as a relief for the family, but that he cannot authoritatively say whether his late daughter has got justice. He indicated his dissatisfaction with the punishment, saying that steps will be taken to seek its enhancement after discussions with the public prosecutor.
Dr Das' mother said that the family can only wish for the maximum punishment and it was up to the court to decide what sentence should be given. She said that the family will go in appeal, but declined to comment on whether her daughter got justice.
She tearfully said that she wants the convict to suffer the same pain that her daughter underwent "as he stabbed her 27 times".
The court on March 17 had convicted Sandeep for various offences under the IPC, including murder, destruction of evidence and wrongful restraint.
It had also held him guilty under the provisions of the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of violence and damage to property) Act 2012.
Sandeep was brought to the taluk hospital by the police for medical treatment during the small hours of May 10, 2023 and he went on a sudden attacking spree using a pair of surgical scissors kept in the room where his leg injury was being dressed.
A school teacher by profession, he had initially attacked the police officers and another person who had accompanied him to the hospital and then turned on the young Dr Das, who could not escape to safety.
She was stabbed several times and later succumbed to her injuries in a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram where she was rushed following the attack.
Dr Das was a native of the Kaduthuruthy area of Kottayam district and the only child of her parents.
She was a house surgeon at Azeezia Medical College Hospital and was working at the Kottarakkara taluk hospital as part of her training.
Sandeep had called the emergency number 112, claiming that his life was in danger. When local police located him, he was standing close by his home, surrounded by local residents and his relatives, and had a wound on his leg following an alleged quarrel.
He was then taken to the hospital for dressing the wound.
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