Minister in charge of Dakshina Kannada, Dinesh Gundu Rao, holding a meeting to review the damages to properties caused by rains, in the office of the Deputy Commissioner on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH
As many as 911 houses were damaged in natural calamities in Dakshina Kannada during the last over two-and-a-half-month period, according to the District Disaster Management Authority.
According to the data provided by the authority on Wednesday, 829 houses were partially damaged and 82 houses were fully damaged from April 1 to June 18. Of them, 126 houses, two of them fully, were damaged so far in June alone. As many as 705 houses were partially damaged, and 80 houses were fully damaged in April and May.
According to the India Meteorological Department, the Southwest monsoon advanced over coastal Karnataka and parts of interior south Karnataka when it entered Kerala on May 24, a week ahead of its normal onset.
At a meeting presided over by Dinesh Gundu Rao, Minister in charge of Dakshina Kannada, at the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Wednesday, the outgoing Deputy Commissioner M. P. Mullai Muhilan said that horticultural crops on 5.384 hectares and agricultural crops on 2.43 hectares were affected due to the rains.
The Minister had called the meeting to review the damages to properties due to the natural calamities.
Case to be booked
At the meeting, the Minister directed Belthangady officials to file a case against two persons from Savanalu village under the Kudremukh Wildlife range for riding their two-wheeler across a swollen river, disregarding warnings and thereby risking their lives.
When an official informed that the two tried to cross the road where the river was overflowing, Mr. Rao said such violators need to be booked. “We need to send out a strong message,” Mr. Rao said. The Deputy Commissioner said a case will be booked against the two.
Mr. Muhilan was upset over Bantwal Town Municipality passing a resolution allowing the movement of all vehicles on the old Panemangaluru steel bridge across Netravathi, despite the district administration having banned it until the department concerned submitted a report on its stability and safety.
Mr. Rao said the municipality has written to him seeking permission to allow the movement of all vehicles on the bridge. Mr. Muhilan said the movement of heavy vehicles was banned on the bridge by placing a barrier. However, heavy vehicles began plying the bridge from last month.
Then the Minister instructed that the ban on the movement of heavy vehicles should continue until the district administration receives the report on the stability of the bridge.
Published – June 18, 2025 09:27 pm IST