Tension grips residents in hilly regions

People dwelling in the hilly regions of the district are panic stricken following minor landslides on the hillock in Chamundeshwari Nagar in Madikeri on Wednesday night.

NDRF personnel, officials from the district disaster management team and police personnel rushed to the spot and have shifted five families to a relief centre.

Chamundeshwari Nagar, Indira Nagar and Mangaladevi Nagar had experienced major landslides in 2018. As the rains are intensifying, people dwelling in these regions are apprehending similar incidents this time too.

On Wednesday evening, the hillock behind the house of Shyam, a resident of Chamundeshwari Nagar, caved in due to heavy showers. As there was another landslide in the night, Shyam called the district helpline for assistance.

An elderly couple and Jaffar, an ailing person, who were living in their respective houses, under the hillock, were shifted to their relatives’ houses, during an operation conducted by the rescue teams on Wednesday night.

As many more houses in the region are expected to be affected by the landslides and heavy rains, several people in the region said that they had earlier given their consent to be shifted to other locations and had requested the administration to provide houses for them. But, their names were omitted from the list.

Many families have covered the place of landslide on hillocks, with plastic sheets.

The residents of Chamundeshwari Nagar said that 123 families from Indira Nagar, Chamundeshwari Nagar and Mangaladevi Nagar had been provided with houses in the rehabilitation sites. But, those who have been allotted houses in Jamburu Bane, cannot shift to their new houses as minor works in the new houses are pending and are still living in their old houses.

Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy stated that five families in Chamundeshwari Nagar have been shifted to safer locations. The rest of the residents have been asked to remain cautious. The people need not panic as the NDRF team is stationed in the location, she added.