The Hindu : Karnataka / Belgaum News : 1,559 works under relief programmes completed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 29, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Belgaum

1,559 works under relief programmes completed

By Our Staff Correspondent

BELGAUM, APRIL 28. Those who want to get employment under the drought-relief programme should register their names with the gram panchayat concerned. This will facilitate the authorities to plan and give them work accordingly, said V. Madhu, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation Managing Director and district in-charge Secretary, here on Wednesday.

Reviewing the relief works with the officials here, he said the Government had completed 1,559 of the 2,131 works sanctioned under the drought-relief programme for the district. The work on the remaining 572 was on different stages of progress. So far, he claimed, the Government was able to provide employment opportunities to 10.57 lakh and create 140.73 lakh man-days in the district. He said the Government had released 78,961 tonnes of foodgrains of which 74,218 tonnes had already been utilised under the food-for-work programme. Last week, another 2,100 tonnes was lifted.

He said the administration was providing drinking water in tankers to 185 villages and Athani town in the district. Tankers would have to be pressed into service for another 107 villages, which were likely to face shortages in the event of poor rainfall. On fodder availability, he said 205 villages in eight taluks, except Belgaum and Khanapur, were facing fodder shortage. The administration had the responsibility of supplying fodder to 1.4 lakh cattle and drinking water. As much as 63,287 tonnes of fodder was required a month. Since fodder was available in the district, the Government had released Rs. 24 lakh towards setting up of five goshalas and supply of fodder in scarcity hit villages.

The Deputy Commissioner, B.S. Palaksha, advised the officials to ensure that the water released from the Malaprabha and the Ghataprabha reservoirs and that released by Maharasthra (from Varna Dam) was utilised only for drinking purposes. To ensure that the water was used only for drinking purposes and not drawn for irrigation, nodal officers had been appointed and teams consisting of officials from the police, the revenue and the irrigation departments formed to keep a vigil. He advised to disconnected power supply to pump-sets on the banks of rivers.

Rajendra Kumar Kataria, Chief Executive Officer of the zilla panchayat, briefed about the development programmes under various stages of progress in the district.

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1,559 works under relief programmes completed