Deluge: Minister to hold meeting on Nov. 1
The Hindu
Officials expected to put forth details on damage caused, estimated loss
The damage caused by the recent rain and the loss suffered in the deluge in Mysuru will be discussed at the meeting to be presided over by Minister in charge of Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts S.T. Somashekar here on November 1.
This is the first such meeting where the officials are expected to put forth details on the damage caused to properties and the estimated loss as the city recorded the highest-ever rains in the recent past. Engineers and officials from the Mysuru City Corporation are in the process of assessing the damage and loss with spot inspections.
The Mysuru City Corporation was criticised for its alleged failure in clearing clogged storm-water drains which are being blamed for the inundation as the drain network was missing at several places. The neighbourhoods beyond the Outer Ring Road were among the affected ones with blocked drains flooding the houses and several low-lying areas.
Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.