The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Dharam Singh to survey flood-affected areas today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 02, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Dharam Singh to survey flood-affected areas today

Special Correspondent

Mallikarjun Kharge and M.P. Prakash to accompany Chief Minister; Central assistance sought

BANGALORE: The Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, will make an aerial survey of rain and flood-ravaged Belgaum, Bagalkot and other north Karnataka districts on Tuesday to assess the damage to crops and property.

Mr. Singh told the Legislative Assembly on Monday that the Minister for Water Resources and Transport, M. Mallikarjun Kharge, the Revenue Minister, M.P. Prakash, and he would conduct the aerial survey and assess the damage in the flood-affected districts.

The Government has sought financial aid from the Centre to undertake relief works in villages, which were submerged because of the downpour. A Central team would visit the State in a couple of days to assess the rain damage, he said.

Making a suo motu statement, Mr. Prakash, said two defence helicopters had been pressed into service for undertaking rescue and relief works in the marooned villages in Belgaum and Bagalkot districts as the Krishna is in spate owing to the discharge from reservoirs in Maharashtra which is receiving heavy rains.

As many 2,000 families involving 10,000 people of 89 villages in Athani, Raibagh, Chikkodi and Hukkeri taluks of Belgaum district were affected by rain. The villages have been inundated by the flood waters following heavy discharge from Koyna reservoir.

Rs. 30 cr. crop loss

The crop loss has been estimated at Rs. 30 crores by officials of the Revenue Department. Rain had claimed 12 lives in the State so far, he said. Six boats from Karwar had been pressed into service to rescue people in Belgaum and Bagalkot districts. The north Karnataka districts recorded the highest rain in the last 14 years and Belgaum district alone received 5,533.5 mm of rains in a week against the normal 1778 mm. Ten villages in Bagalkot district have been the worst affected. Many houses in the district have been inundated by the backwaters of the Narayanpur dam.

The deputy commissioners have been told to take up relief works in full swing in the flood-affected areas. They have been directed to provide food, medicines and drinking water to the people. The district officials have been asked to send reports on the crop loss and the extent of damage caused by floods. Based on the reports, a memorandum would be submitted to the Central team seeking relief funds, Mr. Prakash said.

Stating that adequate funds would be released to all the districts to undertake relief works, Mr. Prakash said Rs. 4 crores has been released to Belgaum district, Rs. 1.5 crore each to Chikmagalur and Shimoga districts, Rs. 1 crore each to Davangere, Bellary and Kodagu districts. The Finance Department's approval had been sought to release Rs. 8 crores and funds would be released on Tuesday, Mr. Prakash said.

H.D. Basavaraju (BJP) said many roads, bridges, houses and crops were damaged in Kodagu district. The Deputy Commissioner had sent a proposal seeking Rs. 16 crores to take up relief works. But only Rs. 1 crore had been released. He requested the Government to deploy an official to oversee implementation of relief works.

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