Expert committee from Centre to visit Kodagu on Tuesday

The expert committee from the Centre will visit Kodagu on Tuesday to study the impact of floods in the district.

The team headed by Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary Sri Prakash has already conducted an inspection on losses due to floods in Uttara Kannada district. The team will arrive at Koodige helipad near Kushalnagar through a special chopper from Bengaluru.

On Tuesday morning at 9 am, the team will conduct a meeting in the auditorium of Sainik School, Koodige. Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy, Zilla Panchayat CEO K Lakshmi Priya, District In-charge Secretary Anbu Kumar will take part. MLAs and the MP from the district are expected to take part during the visit of the officials from the Centre.

The team of officials will later visit the flood-hit areas in Nelyahudikeri, Karadigodu, Kumbaragundi and Siddapura. The officials will listen to the woes of the flood victims. Later, the team will conduct an inspection of Makutta Road at 2.45 pm, according to the information provided by the district administration.

The landslides in Kodagu had caused a huge loss in 2018. A team from the Centre had conducted a study and had submitted a report to the Central government. Based on the report, a grant of Rs 546 crore was released to the five flood-hit districts of the state.

Special package expected

Coffee planters had expected a special compensation package last year, owing to the losses caused by floods in 2018. But, the compensation was paid as per NDRF guidelines and was limited to two hectares.

The compensation amount had disappointed the growers. The farmers are now worried over losses caused by the floods for the second consecutive year and are expecting compensation.

On the eve of the visit of the Central team to Kodagu, Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy convened a preparatory meeting at the DC’s office on Monday.

Speaking at the meeting, the deputy commissioner asked the officials from Cesc, PWD, rural development, major and minor irrigation, agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, public instructions, women and child welfare and health and family welfare to attend the meeting with officials from the Centre and to submit the estimate of losses.

District Superintendent of Police Dr Suman D Pennekar, Zilla Panchayat CEO K Lakshmi Priya and Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr Sneha were present.

Rs 600-crore loss estimated

As per the preliminary statistics by the district administration, the loss in Kodagu is estimated to be Rs 600 crore.

Crops have been lost in 1.18 lakh hectares of land. The details on the loss of various crops are: Paddy - 3,623 hectare, coffee - 1 lakh hectare, pepper - 6,350 hectare, corn - 40 hectare, areca - 1,579 hectare, ginger - 904 hectare, plantain - 2,241 hectare, cardamom - 1,806 hectare and vegetables - 380 hectare.

A total of 153 houses have collapsed totally and 336 houses have been partially damaged in the district.