Min: Reach out to flood-hit people

Mangaluru: District minister Sunil Kumar directed officials to go to the people affected by the recent calamity in Sullia and Kadaba taluks of the Dakshina Kannada district, to understand their grievances, and solve them in a humane manner.
The minister was speaking to officials at Sullia taluk panchayat, after visiting the places that were affected by the deluge in the last two days, on Wednesday. Pointing out that such a situation was not witnessed in the last three decades, Kumar directed forest department officials to clear the logs and debris that had obstructed the flow of water, by blocking the bridges and vented dams, by deploying personnel in shifts, till the obstructions were cleared.
He told officials from the department of revenue, agriculture, horticulture and forest, to approach people in distress, and lend a helping hand, rather than wait for them to approach for succour.
He emphasised that tahsildars and taluk panchayat CEOs establish communication with villagers, who have not been reachable due to road connectivity issues, and hand their families adequate ration, and ensure that they are not put in harm’s way, in case such a situation recurs. Earlier, the minister handed over compensation cheques to people affected by the rain. The meeting was attended by DK DC K V Rajendra, ZP CEO Kumara, Puttur assistant commissioner Girish Nandan and DCF Ashish Reddy.