Karnataka: Proposal sent to install 13 lightning arrestors in Dakshina Kannada

MANGALURU: Monsoons, no doubt, bring joy for the majority, but for some villagers in the DK District it is nothing short of a nightmare.
The pre-monsoon showers bring along with it gusty winds, but more dangerous is the lightning that comes along with it. They have claimed many lives in the rural areas of the district. Understanding this, a proposal to install lightning arrestors in DK was sent by the district administration to the state government long back. The file has been gathering dust since the past five years.
According to information available about seven persons have lost their lives in lightning strikes between the years 2014- 2019 in Puttur taluk alone. Apart from this, the number of persons injured in these lightning strikes is numerous and not accounted for.
The Puttur Taluk Panchayat in 2016 had resolved to install lightning arrestors in Nelyadi, Kumbra, Charvaka, Kaniyooru, Punacha areas - as maximum number of fatalities and injuries had been reported from these areas.
Ramesh Babu, Puttur tehsildar, said that 13 places in the district had been identified to install lightning arrestors and the proposal had been sent by the district administration to the government in 2016. He expected to get approval soon.
The letter was sent by then Deputy Commissioner to the Chief Secretary of the Revenue DEpartment (Disaster Management). The District administration had identified 13 spots where lightning arrestors should be installed in order to avert fatalities and injuries during monsoons. The cost of the 13 arrestors was put at Rs 35 lakh. In Puttur taluk, Keyyur and Nelyadi were identified and the cost of the arrestor was quoted at Rs 5 lakh per arrestor.
An arrester does not stop lightning, but diverts the lightning by a safe route to travel.