Kerala - Kozhikode   

Rain wreaks havoc in district

Staff Reporter

60 houses damaged; loss estimated at Rs.4.5 crores 60 houses damaged; loss estimated at Rs.4.5 crores

Kozhikode: Widespread damage has been reported from various parts of the district following torrential rain and gale during the last two days.

At least 60 houses were damaged on Sunday night. The total loss has been estimated at Rs.4.5 crores, according to the Natural Calamity Cell.

Three houses were destroyed in Kozhikode taluk, 32 partially damaged in Koilandy taluk and 16 in Vadakara taluk of the district.

Tress were uprooted at several places, disrupting traffic on major roads for long hours on Sunday and Monday morning. Power supply was disrupted in various parts of the city and suburbs from 6 p.m. on Sunday to 10 a.m. on Monday. In many areas, power was restored only at noon.

Eighteen 11 kV feeders developed snags in the district. Electric lines were severed after branches of tress came down in several places. An electric post collapsed at Karuvanthuruthikadu when a tree fell on it.

A house in Corporation Colony was destroyed when a temporary shed atop a two-storeyed building at Chakkumkadavu Junction came down. At Vengeri, a tree fell on a house. Similar incidents were reported from Civil Station, Aravind Ghosh Road, Ramanattukara, Pullallur, Panthirankavu, Varuvanthurathu, Mannur, Chelambra and Attoli. Fire tenders removed a tree that fell on the roof of a school at Chelambra on Sunday night.

Huge billboards also collapsed in many parts of the city. A hoarding came down on the Wayanad road. The body of a youth who was missing after his country boat capsized in the Kuttiyadi river last Thursday was found at Goolikapuzha bridge, near Kuttiyadi, on Monday. The police said the body of Ramshad (17), son of Ibrahim Haji of Peruvayal, was washed ashore in the morning.

Weather warning

The weather bureau has warned that winds in the speed of 50-60 km. a hour would strike the costal areas within 48 hours. The Fire and Rescue Services, police and officials of the Kerala State Electricity Board have been alerted.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture out to the deep sea for fishing.

Precautionary measures are being taken in the coastal areas. Additional District Magistrate P. Balan, who is officiating charge in the absence of District Collector Rachna Shah, said relief funds were readily available for meeting the expenses in dealing with natural calamities.

Officials said a sum of Rs.10 lakhs had been distributed last week.

The total agriculture loss calculated so far this monsoon is approximately Rs.3 crores.

The funds are yet to be distributed. An amount of Rs.75 lakhs of last year's was still pending, an official said.

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