Hotel, homestay bookings cancelled till Aug 31

Kodagu Deputy Commissioner P I Srividya has ordered cancellation of all bookings at hotels, resorts, homestays and private occupancies till August 31.

"There’s been flooding and landslides in the district due to heavy rainfall. The condition of roads connecting Kodagu district is dangerous,” she stated, adding that the decision to cancel bookings was in the interest of tourists’ safety.

The Kodagu district administration also released a list of 21 items that are needed to help those being attended to at relief camps. The items include plastic buckets, raincoats, warm clothes, footwear, umbrella, torchlights and so on.

The district administration has also decided to stockpile relief materials at the APMC yard in Madikeri, from where it will be distributed.

The move has caused alarm in relief camps run by volunteers. For instance, the Kodava Samaj relief camp here, which has 140 people, could run out of supplies. “Because we aren’t receiving supplies, we are rationing whatever we have. For now, we have enough to feed 140 people,” a Kodava Samaj office-bearer said.