Mangaluru: Political functionaries across party lines have called for swift relief for families affected by the Nagori tragedy, which claimed three lives. Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta, MLC Ivan D’Souza and Mangaluru City South MLA D Vedavyas Kamath urged the district administration to take preventive measures to avert similar tragedies during the ongoing monsoon.MLA Kamath said the govt should bear the entire cost of treatment for those injured in the incident. Pointing to the India Meteorological Department’s forecast of continued heavy rain, he urged the district administration to take all necessary precautions in areas already identified as vulnerable, while appealing to the public to remain vigilant.Meanwhile, the Dakshina Kannada unit of DYFI demanded enhanced compensation, rehabilitation and comprehensive relief measures for the affected families. A DYFI delegation visited the accident site and met the victims’ families, urging the government to announce the highest possible compensation for the families of those killed, provide free treatment to the injured and allot house sites to the displaced families.DYFI district secretary Santhosh Bajal alleged that the district administration’s monsoon preparedness had remained confined to press statements, and had failed to translate into preventive action on the ground. He criticised the authorities for not identifying vulnerable locations, issuing timely warnings or relocating residents from high-risk areas despite repeated incidents of landslides and retaining wall collapses.Referring to previous disasters, including the Shiroor landslide in Uttara Kannada and the Wayanad landslides in Kerala, Bajal said the govt had been directed to identify unsafe houses located on hill slopes and in landslide-prone areas, and relocate residents to safer locations.The district administration had already identified 88 landslide-prone locations. Flood prone areas have also been identified.
