For first time in 125 years, Karnataka has recorded highest rainfall in May: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, May 30 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said, for the first time in the last 125 years, the state has recorded the highest rainfall in the month of May, and 28 districts have received more than usual rainfall.
Addressing the review meeting with Deputy Commissioners of all districts and CEOs of all Zilla Panchayats, he asked them to visit the rain-damaged areas immediately and provide necessary compensation to those affected.
"There is no shortage of funds to provide compensation for rain damage. More than Rs 1,000 crore is available under SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund) in the districts," the CM was quoted as telling officers, by his office in a release.
Guidelines have already been issued for providing compensation if houses are damaged due to heavy rain. "Immediate compensation should be provided," he said.
In places where landslides are likely, precautionary measures, including evacuation of people should be taken to avoid the possibility of death, Siddaramaiah said.
In case the house is completely damaged by rains, immediate compensation of Rs 1.20 lakh is being provided, he said, as he asked the Deputy Commissioners to take action like last year by providing new houses to such people.
Assistance should be provided for the construction of houses under various schemes, he added.
The CM said a task force comprising various departments has been formed at all Gram Panchayat levels to deal with the flood disaster, and if they work in coordination, precautionary measures can be taken.
Questioning as to why can't precautionary measures be taken regarding rain in Bengaluru city, he said, "There is information about low-lying areas and waterlogging areas in advance. Officials should be more proactive. Along with temporary measures, permanent solutions should also be taken."
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Illegal sand mining has created environmental crisis in National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday said rampant illegal riverbed sand mining has created an "environmental crisis" and wreaked "havoc" in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, causing a grave risk to the gharial (long-snouted crocodile) preservation project.
Slamming the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for their utter failure in dealing with the issue, the apex court directed them to install high-resolution Wi-Fi-enabled CCTV cameras along all routes frequently used for illegal sand mining in the area.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed that live feed of such surveillance cameras shall be placed under the direct control, supervision and operational oversight of the superintendent of police or the senior superintendent of police of the concerned district and the divisional forest officer.
It said these officers shall ensure continuous and effective monitoring of the CCTV feeds by designating appropriate officers.
"It can't be gainsaid that the issues involved are of great concern in as much as the rampant illegal mining activities in the river bed have created an environmental crisis and havoc in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary causing a grave risk to the very project of gharial preservation of which the state governments themselves were proponents and were under an obligation to foster and promote," Justice Mehta said while pronouncing the order.
The bench directed the authorities in these three states to initiate prompt and necessary action under law if any instance of illegal mining or allied activities comes to light.
It said the authorities shall ensure seizure of vehicles or machinery found involved in illegal sand mining and also initiate prosecution of persons involved in it.
The bench, which passed several other directions, posted the matter for hearing on May 11.
The top court passed the order in a suo motu case titled 'In Re: Illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary and threat to endangered aquatic wildlife'.
The National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400-sq km tri-state protected area.
Besides the endangered gharial, it is home to the red-crowned roof turtle and the endangered Ganges river Dolphin.
Located on the Chambal river near the tripoint of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the sanctuary was first declared a protected area in Madhya Pradesh in 1978 and now constitutes a long and narrow eco-reserve co-administered by the three states.
On March 13, the top court took suo motu cognisance of news reports about rampant illegal sand mining on the banks of the Chambal river.
