08-08-2025
- Climate
- New Indian Express
Honorarium delays hit weather observers in Karnataka
B Honnappa, 51, a weather observer from Bhagamandala in Kodagu who has been collecting rainfall data for 28 years, told TNIE, 'The honorarium paid is Rs 30 to Rs 40 a day and it adds to nearly Rs 10,000. It is usually paid twice a year, but I haven't received any payment for the last two years.'
Santhosh, 48, from Castle Rock village in Uttara Kannada, where annual rainfall ranges from 6,000 to 7,000 mm, said, 'I received a partial payment of Rs 4,000, and that too six months ago. This is the only payment I have received in the past two years.'
The consequences of these delays are now visible in IMD's rainfall dashboards. 'Readers are not providing data because they are not being paid,' said Ravi Keerthi, a regular data user and weather observer from Mysuru. 'I track Bhagamandala data, which went missing for several days in July. Stations like Castle Rock, Bhagamandala, Somwarpet, and many others are showing data gaps during the monsoon season,' he said.
When contacted by TNIE, N Puviarasan, Director of IMD Bengaluru, said, 'We have cleared dues up to June 2024. The pending amounts will be released soon. There have been delays due to implementation of e-office but we are working to resolve them at the earliest.'
