BIDAR: Deputy Chief Minister M.P. Prakash on Monday said the State Government would take a decision in a week on raising the compensation to farmers who lost standing crops in the floods in the Krishna and the Bheema in Belgaum, Bijapur, Bagalkot, Gulbarga, Bidar and Raichur districts.

Mr. Prakash, who paid a visit to the flood-hit villages in Bhalki taluk in Bidar district and inspected the damage caused to standing crops, told a review meeting in Bidar that the State Government was aware of the Maharashtra Government paying a relief of Rs. 4,000 per hectare in the rain-fed areas, Rs. 10,000 per hectare in irrigated areas and Rs. 15,000 per hectare for the sugarcane crop.

The State Government had pleaded with the Union Government to relax the norms of the Natural Calamity Fund to allow State governments to use Central funds liberally to pay higher compensation to farmers. Mr. Prakash said he would discuss the issue with Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh and Public Works Minister H.D. Revanna and take a decision on raising the compensation to farmers. He also said the State Government proposed to take one more delegation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and some Union Ministers seeking early release of the Central aid to provide relief to the people who had lost their houses and standing crops in the floods.

The Minister was told by district officials that standing crops in more than 2,500 acres in 62 villages on the banks of the Manjra had been damaged in the floods.

Mr. Prakash directed the district administration to submit a report on the loss suffered by September 31.

The Deputy Chief Minister directed the district administration to take up relief work with the available funds immediately. Relief and rehabilitation work should be completed within a week and people should not be allowed to suffer, he said.

Funds

Mr. Prakash said that apart from the Rs. 15 crores sanctioned by the Chief Minister during his visit to the flood-hit areas in Bidar district, the district administration had about Rs. 3.5 crores as unspent amount from the Natural Calamity Fund released earlier and another Rs. 2.46 crores had been released from the fund.

Mr. Prakash said that any mishandling of the flood relief works by officials would not be tolerated. He said he would visit Bidar in the second week of October to review the progress of the relief works taken up by the administration.

He announced that the Basavakalyan Development Authority would be inaugurated by the Chief Minister in the second week of October.

The Government had sanctioned Rs. 5 crores for the works this year and this amount should be spent by the end of the current financial year.

The Government also proposed to take up repairs to the historic Tiruputankera tank in Basavakalyan in Bidar district.

Referring to the large number of posts vacant in government departments in the district, Mr. Prakash said all the posts would be filled shortly.

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