Karnataka - Udupi   

Udupi district administration gears up for monsoon

By Our Staff Correspondent

UDUPI, MAY 26. The Deputy Commissioner, S.R. Umashankar, on Wednesday said all precautionary measures would be taken to deal with any eventuality arising out of the monsoon in the district. He was presiding over a district-level meeting on the precautionary steps to be taken during the monsoon.

Mr. Umashankar said heavy rainfall was expected in the district in June, July, and August. The tahsildars of Kundapiur, Karkala, and Udupi, and the municipal commissioners of the Udupi City Municipal Council, the Kundapur Town Municipal Council, and the Karkala Town Municipal Council had been directed to take steps to ensure that the sewers were not clogged, he said. The engineers of the Public Works Department should assist the local bodies in this task, he added.

He said control rooms would be opened at the Deputy Commissioner's Office, the taluk offices, and the municipal offices to deal with any eventuality. They would operate round the clock.

Mr. Umashankar directed all district-level officials not to leave the headquarters until the rains were over.

The Assistant Commissioner and the tahsildars should ensure that relief was provided to the affected at the earliest, he said.

The officials should keep boats and other equipment ready to rescue and shift those affected by flooding, he said.

All the officials concerned should reach the affected areas immediately. Mr. Umashankar warned that action would be taken against them if they failed to do so.

The Superintendent of Police, S. Murugan, and the Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department, Rajagopal, were present.

Our Mangalore Correspondent writes:

The Deputy Commissioner, Arvind Shrivastav, today instructed the heads of government departments in the district not to leave the headquarters between June 1 and September 30 without his permission as they could be needed to assist the administration in relief operations if natural calamities occurred on account of the monsoon.

Speaking at a meeting organised here to discuss precautionary measures to be taken to deal with eventualities following the onset of the monsoon, Mr. Shrivastav said that in case of emergency, officials could leave their headquarters by obtaining permission.

He directed the officials concerned to open control rooms at the taluk offices and at his office to ensure that relief operations could be carried out immediately. The control rooms should be in touch with the Home Guards and the fire services, he said.

The Deputy Commissioner asked the officials to alert people in low-lying areas in advance in case of floods. Boats, including mechanised ones, and cranes should be kept ready for relief operations, he said.

A list of swimmers in the district should be kept ready to enlist their services in case of emergencies, he said.

Mr. Shrivastav asked the officials of the Regional Transport Office and the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation to make alternative arrangements for passengers in the event of road blocks caused by landslides. In such cases, temporary bypass roads should be laid to enable vehicles to move, he said.

He directed the officials of the Department of Health and Family Welfare to stock medicines to deal with the outbreak of epidemics during the rainy season. The Department of Animal Husbandry should take care to contain diseases afflicting animals, he added.

Mr. Shrivastav suggested to the officials to identify places and buildings to open relief camps, including food centres, in case of emergencies.

The material needed to open such camps should be kept ready.

The Commandant of District Home Guards, Shivaprasad Rai, also participated in the meeting.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

• Udupi district administration gears up for monsoon

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu