Rains claim seven lives in Mysore

Seven people including three women of a single family were killed in the torrential rains that lashed Mysore near here in the early hours of Wednesday.

Four fishermen, who were sleeping by the side of Cauvery river in Mysore district’s K R Nagar taluk were, were struck by lightning while a mother and her two teenaged daughters were washed away in the flood waters in Mysore City.

Deputy Commissioner of Mysore Selva Kumar told reporters that a group of six fishermen, who had cast a net in the river, were sleeping by its side at Hosuru Kallahalli village near Mysore when lightning claimed the lives of four fishermen. Two others, who were injured in the lightning, had been admitted to a Government hospital at K R Nagar.

In Mysore City, a mother and her two daughters were washed away when they were sleeping in their mud hut built by the side of a huge storm water drain. The mud wall collapsed when the waters flooded their hut. The mother and her two daughters were swept away in the waters.

The authorities were hunting for the bodies of Mallaravadi, 32, and her daughters Deepu, 14, and Divya, 12. Mallaravadi’s husband Sudhakar, who works as a labourer at the agricultural produce marketing yard, managed to escape.

Minister in charge of Mysore district G T Deve Gowda visited the colony of mud houses built by the side of the storm water drain and directed the district administration to immediately remove all the fifty odd houses and provide alternative rehabilitation to its occupants.

Brindavan Gardens re-opens after 84 days

The famous Brindavan Gardens at KRS reservoir near here was thrown open to tourists after a gap of 84 days.

The famous gardens with its captivating fountains amidst sprawling lawns had been kept out of bounds for tourists ever since the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal delivered its final verdict on February 5.

The Irrigation Department authorities, who are the custodians of Brindavan Gardens, had locked up the gates of the famous tourist destination within minutes of the Tribunal delivering its verdict fearing a threat to the safety of dam.

But, senior police officials of the region led by Inspector General of Police (Southern Range) R P Sharma visited the gardens two days ago and directed the irrigation department authorities to reopen the gardens for tourists.

Accordingly, the gates of Brindavan Gardens were thrown open to tourists from April 30. Cauvery Neeravari Nigam's Executive Engineer Vijaykumar said all the fountains had been checked by the personnel and they were fully functional. As usual the Brindavan Gardens will be illuminated every evening and the dancing fountain too will continue to enthrall the visitors, he said.

However, the Brindavan Gardens appeared to have lost its sheen on account of the poor storage level in the KRS reservoir. The water level stood at 74 feet against the maximum reservoir level of 124.8 feet. However, authorities expect the water level in the reservoir to improve in the coming days with rainfall expected in river Cauvery's catchment areas.

The authorities had come under severe pressure from petty businessmen, owners of lodges and restaurants to reopen Brindavan Gardens. They had even submitted a memorandum to the police and Irrigation Department authorities to re-open the Gardens. A few businessmen criticised the authorities for closing down Brindavan Gardens for such an extended duration.

Apart from causing a loss to the businessmen, the authorities had also come under attack for losing valuable tourism revenue by keeping such an attractive tourist destination closed for more than three months.

But, Cauvery Neeravari Nigam's Executive Engineer Vijaykumar said they had decided to keep it locked as the situation was very volatile in the region in the wake of the Tribunal's final order.