Karnataka govt seeks report on rain-related damage
Bengaluru, Nov 17: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said he has sought a report on the damage caused to the agriculture and horticulture crops due to continuous downpour in several parts of the state for the past fortnight.
"The unexpected downpour is continuing and there are signals that it will extend for another four to five days due to depression in the Bay of Bengal.
Its effect is evident in Bengaluru and a few other districts such as damage to the roads, crops and inability to move out and water gushing into houses," the Chief Minister told reporters on the sidelines of an event.
He said he has issued directions to officials concerned regarding the measures to be taken once the rain stops.
"We are also assessing the crop loss in various districts due to rains, to provide compensation to farmers.
Today I am going to hold a meeting with officials on procurement under the Minimum Support Price (MSP). We are monitoring the situation," Bommai said.
He added he has directed the horticulture department to submit a status report on the impact of rain on vegetables and fruits. Since Bengaluru is also battered by the heavy rains, Bommai said he said once the rain stops, they have take up road repair work, lay underground drains at an estimated cost of Rs 280 crore in the 110 villages, which were added to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in 2005-06. Relief operations will also be taken up in low-lying areas and more personnel will be pressed into service.
Four Bengaluru specific State Disaster Response Force will be constituted.
According to Bommai, the confusion over taking up repair work in Bengaluru has been resolved and it has been decided that the maintenance contractors should take it up.
If they refuse, then the civic agency should undertake road repair work, holding back the security deposit of the maintenance contractors, the Chief Minister explained.
The city has been witnessing heavy rains for more than a fortnight and meteorologists have predicted rainfall for the next 48 to 72 hours in many parts of the state.
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Taj Mahal top earning ASI monument through ticket sales from FY19-20 to FY23-24: Govt
New Delhi, Apr 3 (PTI): The iconic Taj Mahal in Agra earned the "highest income" through the sale of tickets among the ASI-protected monuments from FY19-20 to FY23-24, according to data shared by the government.
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared the data in a written response to a query in Rajya Sabha.
He was asked the amount that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has received from selling entry tickets to various monuments in the last five years, year-wise and monument-wise; and the monuments that have received the highest income through selling entry tickets in the last five years.
In his response, the minister shared the data in a tabular form for cycles of financial years ranging from FY19-20 to FY23-24.
According to the data, Taj Mahal earned the top slot for all five years.
The Mughal-era architectural wonder was commissioned by Emperor Shah Jehan in the 17th century and it is considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.
In FY19-20, the Agra Fort in Agra and Qutub Minar in Delhi were in the second and third positions.
In FY20-21, the Group of Monuments Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu and Sun Temple, Konark were in the second and third positions. In FY23-24, Qutub Minar and Red Fort of Delhi were in the second and third positions.
