In view of the fast-approaching monsoon, Koppal Deputy Commissioner Nalin Atul convened a meeting of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) at his office in Koppal on Tuesday. He then directed the officials concerned to take all precautionary measures to handle likely floods.
“Monsoon will hit the State shortly. We need to be prepared to handle any flood situation. Tahsildars must personally visit the areas that were affected in the floods last year and take precautionary measures to minimise the damage this year. They should discuss with the members and the officials of local elected bodies and take necessary steps. If any bills are pending for the works undertaken to repair the damaged assets, they should be paid quickly,” Mr. Atul said.
As per information provided by the officials at the meeting, 13 trips of tank water is being supplied daily to Tanakanakal village in Ojanahalli Gram Panchayat limits and Nageshanahalli and Jabbalagudda villages in Budugumpa Gram Panchayat limits.
The district has 5,28,994 tonnes of fodder in stock that would last for the next 35 weeks. A tender process is under way to procure additional fodder for future weeks. Of the 26,659 fodder seeds Minikits supplied by the Department of Animal Husbandry to the district, 21,887 have been distributed among 9,167 farmers.
The officials told the meeting that three people were killed in rain-related incidents between April and May this year and the families of the victims paid a compensation of ₹5 lakh each. As many as 20 animals were also killed in lightning strikes during the same period and a sum of ₹3,59,500 has been distributed to their owners. A sum of ₹3.20 crore is available in the accounts of seven Tahsildars together to take up relief activities.
Taking note of the fact that some of the farmers who had suffered losses in the previous floods and droughts were not paid compensation owing to issues related to bank accounts of beneficiaries, Mr. Atul told the officials to help farmers and guide them to set right the issues so that they can quickly get their rightful relief and compensation for their losses.
“You must open call centres in all taluk headquarters exclusively for receiving complaints or grievances related to drought or flood relief. We will also open it at the district headquarters. Revenue Inspectors and Panchayat Development Officers must provide all relevant information that farmers seek. They must help and guide the farmers in getting relevant documents,” Mr. Atul said.
Chief Executive Officer of Zilla Panchayat Rahul Ratnam Pandey, Additional Deputy Commissioner Savitri B. Kadi, Assistant Commissioner Captain Mahesh Malagitti, Director of Planning at Koppal Urban Development Authority Reshma Hanagal, Joint Director of Agriculture Rudreshappa, Tahsildar Vittal Chaugala and other senior officers were present.
