Mysuru: On one hand with the rains subsiding Kodagu is limping back to normalcy, and all 720 people who were hit by floods and landslides and housed at nine relief centres, have returned to their homes. But bodies of two people who went missing after their home collapsed due to landslides at Brahmagiri hills at Talacauvery on 6 August, could not be traced even nearly a month since the incident occurred despite intense operations by special teams amid adverse weather. Kodagu district administration has stopped the operations by special teams to trace them, after the family members of those missing consented for the same.
And Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy has written to State government to consider it a special case and release ex gratia of Rs five lakh each, for family members of those two people missing.
Though the special teams carried out operations despite adverse weather, 70 year old Shantha, wife of chief priest of Talacauvery temple Narayan Achar, one more assistant priest Pavan could not be traced. It is suspected that they are either buried under the debris of the house or carried away by floods.
While a total of five people went missing in the landslides at Brahmagiri, the body of 80 year old chief priest of Talacauvery temple Mr Narayan Achar could be traced after five days since he went missing. They recovered the body of Narayan Achar’s elder brother 86 year old Anandatheerthaswamy after two days since the incident occurred. And they even recovered the body of assistant priest of Talacauvery temple Ravi Kiran after 9 days since he went missing.
Special teams of NDRF, SDRF, Police department, Rapid response team of forest department, district natural disaster management team, department of fire and emergency services, had crossed the flooding river at Bagamandala, and reached the spot along with three hitachis, three jcbs, two tippers. And they dug ground upto 60 feet, searched for bodies for few kilometers from the landslide spot. They even used drone to search for those missing at the places where they could not reach. Despite all the efforts in adverse weather, besides three bodies, all they could recover was Mr Achar's dog, soily Duster car, Omni, a scooty and few other belongings of Mr Narayan Achar. And they had to return disappointed unable to trace two more people.
Due to heavy rains, there were floods at 60 places and landslides at 15 places and 341 houses got damaged at Kodagu between 5 and 10 August. Due to floods and landslides 710 people were rescued by special teams and were housed at 9 relief centres in Kodagu. And all of them have returned to their partially damaged houses. But 12 families whose houses are completely damaged have returned to their relatives houses, because like past two years, government is not providing house rent this year for their stay until they build a house. But an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh will be given to those who have lost homes.
Also rains caused crop loss in 34170 hectares including 28000 hectares of coffee plantation, 2670 hectares of horticulture crops, 3200 agriculture crops during heavy rainfall in Kodagu last week. They have estimated damage of Rs 78,969.92 lakhs to various infrastructures of different departments of Government, including buildings, bridges, roads, side walls and others. And 250 trees were uprooted.
Meanwhile Kodagu recorded 10 new Covid 19 cases and one more death of a 64 year old man on Sunday. So far there have been as many as 1389 covid 19 cases and 21 deaths in Kodagu. And 233 cases are active and there are 215 containment zones in Kodagu.
