The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : High-level panel constituted to monitor disaster management

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 26, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

High-level panel constituted to monitor disaster management

Staff Reporter

Chief Secretary B.K. Das heads committee to coordinate administrative measures

Task forces constituted for relief measures in Bangalore and its outskirts
Thanisandra, Bommanahalli, Krishnarajapuram, Hosur Road and Puttenahalli worst affected
Meeting to discuss repairs and relief work today
Compensation to be paid to owners of damaged houses

Bangalore: Considering the distress caused to people and the extensive damage to public and private property and roads caused by incessant rain in parts of the State, the Government has constituted a high-level executive committee under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary B.K. Das to coordinate and monitor disaster management.

The committee will be entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring the steps being taken by the administration to manage the situation caused by the heavy rainfall and the loss of life in some places.

Committee members

The committee comprises the principal secretaries to the Finance, Health and Family Welfare, Home and Revenue departments.

As far as the relief measures in the districts affected by floods are concerned, the existing monitoring arrangement under the specially constituted committee headed by Mr. Das will continue.

The Government has also constituted task forces led by 21 assistant commissioners of police to handle the gigantic task of providing relief to the rain and flood-affected people in Bangalore and on its outskirts coming under eight urban local bodies.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister R. Ramalinga Reddy told presspersons here on Tuesday that the task forces will be supported by the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike control room and the deputy commissioners of Bangalore Urban and Rural districts. Two executive engineers will assist the deputy commissioners.

Thanisandra near Yelahanka, Bommanahalli, Krishnarajapuram, Hosur Road and Puttenahalli are the worst affected areas in Bangalore. Relief measures will be taken up in three stages. Under the first stage, drains will be freed of silt and repaired, and the affected people will be given food, medicines and alternative accommodation and compensation, if need be.

Mr. Reddy said tankers will supply drinking water. Pumps will be used to flush out water from residential buildings in low-lying areas.

Sandbags will be used to plug breaches in tanks. Care will be taken to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases.

Under the long-term plan, he said the links between the drainage system and tanks will be restored. In many places, areas on either sides of drains have been encroached upon, which is the main cause for the flooding of roads and inundation of low-lying areas.

A meeting has been convened on Wednesday to discuss urgent repairs and relief measures. All MPs, legislators and councillors of the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike and the local bodies around Bangalore have been invited to the meeting to decide how to allocate the Rs. 30 crores sanctioned by Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh for repairs and relief work.

Mr. Reddy said compensation of Rs. 4,000 and Rs. 1,200 will be given to those whose houses have completed damaged or partially damaged respectively. Already owners of 14 houses have been given compensation.

Asked whether there is any need to call in the Army for rescue operations, he said as of now there is no need. The Government is equipped to handle the situation.

The Meteorological Department has warned that Bangalore Urban district will continue to receive heavy downpours over the next 15 days.

Helplines

Deputy Commissioner M.A. Sadiq has said that helplines have been set up for people seeking assistance. The landline and cellphone numbers are:

Deputy Commissioner's office: 22211106 and 9448040700, 9342815124; Bangalore North Assistant Commissioner's office: 22869011 and 9448150354; Bangalore South Assistant Commissioner's office: 22210660 and 9448509485; and Bangalore Urban Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer: 22211107 and 9448489283.

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

Karnataka