Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Aug 26: The tour itinerary of a team of central government officials that has come to the state for undertaking study of flood-affected districts of the state, does not include Dakshina Kannada district. This information has given rise to a sense of apprehension and concern among the people of district.

The team reached the state on August 24. It has drawn up plans to tour the state for three days and assess the losses. Although the list of places to be toured contains names of several flood-affected districts, Dakshina Kannada has been given a miss. The officials, during their meeting with the chief minister, have collected details of losses inflicted by floods in the state. The team has toured Belagavi on August 25 and has stayed at Bagalkot. On Monday, it will travel Bagalkot district, and Gadag and Dharwad on August 27. After visiting Kodagu district, the team will go back to Bengaluru.

Several places in the district particularly in Beltangady and Bantwal taluks have faced unprecedented floods, and the very geographical appearance of some places have undergone change. The district administration has assessed loss of over Rs 750 crore including 944 houses and 1,229.66 hectares of crop. Damage to vented dams runs to hundreds of crore rupees while 22 schools have been damaged. As many as 105 families have been shifted and they need to be provided with permanent settlement. As such, the total loss in the district might be around Rs 2,000 crore.

MP Nalin Kumar Kateel said that the study tour of the central officials was organized at the level of state secretaries. He said he will call for reasons for not including Dakshina Kannada in the tour programme of the team and assured that efforts would be made to see that the team visits Dakshina Kannada.