Karnataka declares 130 taluks in 23 districts as flood-hit
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Thursday declared 130 taluks in 23 districts as flood affected in the state, and has ordered the local administrations to take up necessary relief measures there.
The government has made a declaration to this effect following the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) report.
In the backdrop of large-scale destruction caused to lives, houses, crops and basic infrastructure due to torrential rain and floods in this August monsoon season, 130 taluks in 23 districts of the state have been declared flood affected with immediate effect until further orders, the government order said.
The government has ordered the district administration to take necessary relief measures in the taluks that have been declared flood affected in accordance with State disaster relief fund (SDRF)/NDRF norms and by strictly following the orders or circulars issued by the government from time to time, it added.
The government noted that due to torrential rain in the state in August and heavy inflow from neighbouring Maharashtra into the Krishna basin there were floods in several parts of north Karnataka, and during the same time there were floods in coastal and Malnad region too causing large-scale destruction.
Belagavi district has the highest number of 14 taluks that have been declared flood affected, while the least is in Chamarajanagara and Mandya with one taluk each.
Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had on Monday told a central team that visited the state to assess the damage that Karnataka has suffered a loss of Rs 8,071 crore due to the recent floods.
Heavy rainfall since August 1 has killed at least 20 people, displaced thousands, damaged more than 10,000 homes and crops in about 4.03 lakh hectares, and wrecked 14,182 km of roads.
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Defamation case: Application filed in court for voice sample of Rahul Gandhi
Sultanpur (UP) (PTI): An application for obtaining a voice sample of Rahul Gandhi was filed in an MP-MLA court here on Saturday during a hearing in a defamation case against the Congress leader over his alleged objectionable remarks against then BJP president Amit Shah in 2018.
The plaintiff Vijay Mishra's advocate, Santosh Kumar Pandey, said he filed the application requesting that a voice sample of Gandhi be collected and sent to a forensic science laboratory for comparison with a CD that has already been submitted to the court.
Rahul Gandhi's lawyers registered their objections to this demand. The next hearing in the matter is fixed for April 6, Pandey said.
On February 20, Gandhi, the Lok Sabha MP from Raebareli, had appeared before the court and recorded his statement, claiming the case was filed against him due to political vendetta.
He had also told the court that the audio and video evidence submitted by the complainant was incorrect and said he would present his own evidence.
In December 2023, the court issued a warrant against Gandhi after he failed to appear before it. He later surrendered before the court in February 2024 and was granted bail on two surety bonds of Rs 25,000 each.
The hearing was deferred on Friday due to a holiday on Ram Navami.
Pandey said that during the previous hearing, the complainant's side had filed an application seeking verification of audio and video evidence of the alleged statements made by Gandhi by matching them with his original voice.
The case stems from Gandhi's alleged objectionable remarks against Shah during the 2018 Karnataka election campaign. Following the remarks, Vijay Mishra, a resident of Hanumanganj under Kotwali Dehat police station area in Sultanpur, filed the defamation complaint.
