Rains leave a trail of destruction

Farmers seek assessment of damage and compensation

As many as 22 farmers on Thursday submitted a memorandum to the Assistant Commissioner R S Peddappaiah seeking damage assessment for payment of compensation.

The welcome showers though came as a great relief for the people reeling under sweltering heat, brought miseries in its wake. The 45-minute rain accompanied with hailstones has damaged vegetable crops. The gutsy winds have blown up the zinc sheets and tiles roof of farm houses.

Rain water has entered houses in many areas washing away the household articles and food grains. Aged and women have taken shelter in safe areas. Two electric poles have been uprooted amid farm land and the Bescom is yet to act, the memorandum said.
Vegetable crops have borne the brunt of the first rains. Standing crops of capsicum and beans in the land of Munivenkatappa have been razed to ground.

Bitter gourd in the land of Manjunath too has not been spared. Tomato in the land of Gopalappa has virtually been ravaged. The strong winds brought down an electric pole in Petechamanahalli on City outskirts. The pole also brought transmission lines with it. Bescom authorities were yet to remove the wires till Thursday noon.

The tiles and zinc sheets put on the roof of several houses in Chamundeshwar Nagar have been blown off. The residents and farmers of the area have submitted a memorandum seeking compensation.

The authorities too have asked the affected people to furnish details of the damage caused with photographs so as to conduct spot assessment and determine compensation at the earliest. “Tahsildars and Village Accountants have already began spot assessment,” Assistant Commissioner told Deccan Herald. The quantum of compensation vary for each crop. The processing of claims could be speeded up if the victims furnish details individually, he said.

In Shidlaghatta
A cow shed was damaged when the roof of a farm house came crushing on it at Shettihalli in Shidlaghatta taluk in Chikkaballapur distruct due to heavy rains on Wednesday evening. A lamb died under the rubble of the roof. Incidently Kemparaju owner of shed and house had released the cows sensing danger. However he sustained injuries to spinal cord when was hit by rubble.
Four cows escaped with minor injuries. The asbestos sheets laid on top of the shed were reduced to pieces.