S.Selvakumar, senior IAS officer and secretary in charge of Shivamogga district, has directed officers of the district to take appropriate measures to ensure normal life is not affected during the rainy season. He held a meeting with officers in Shivamogga on Thursday.

The silt collected in the drains and canals in Shivamogga should be cleared before the onset of the monsoon. The officers should ensure there are no hurdles to the free flow of rainwater. A ward-wise action plan should be prepared for handling the situation, he said.

Last week, the city witnessed floods following heavy rains. Many localities were inundated forcing the district administration to rush rescue teams to shift the affected people to safer places. Farmers suffered loss as the harvested crop was washed away in the water and paddy fields were submerged in water. Mr.Selvakumar said the farmers should get the relief as per the NDRF guidelines.

Selvamani R., Deputy Commissioner of Shivamogga, said he had already given instructions to clear the silt in the Tunga canals. During the recent rains around 4,000 houses were affected. The administration had begun the distribution of the relief as per the NDRF guidelines. The officers were assessing the crop loss and relief would be distributed soon. The compensation has been distributed in cases related to death of human beings and cattle.

Zilla Panchayat CEO M.L. Vaishali said 93 gram panchayats had been identified as vulnerable to floods. An action plan had been prepared for each panchayat. The officers had taken measures to avoid damage to tanks during the rains.

Shivamogga City Corporation commissioner Mayanna Gowda, Additional DC Nagendra Honnalli and other officers were present in the meeting.

Source - https://www.thehindu.com