The Hindu : Front Page : Central team begins tour of rain-hit areas in State

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 10, 2005

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Front Page

Central team begins tour of rain-hit areas in State

Special Correspondent

Parts of Bangalore, Tumkur and Bidar covered on Wednesday

BANGALORE: The seven-member Central team on Wednesday visited parts of Bangalore, Tumkur and Bidar districts to assess the damage caused to infrastructure and public and private properties by last month's heavy rain and floods.

Before the team got down to business, it was given a detailed presentation on the rain havoc in the State by S.M. Jaamdar, Principal Secretary, Revenue Department; Ramesh B. Zalki, Secretary (Scarcity), Revenue Department; V.P. Baligar, Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department; and K. Jothiramalingam, Commissioner, Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. The officials also discussed various issues pertaining to the damage caused by rain with the team headed by Ranjan Bhattacharya, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

Mr. Bhattacharya said members of the team will visit all rain-affected districts and submit a report to the Centre. He refused to comment on the quantum of financial assistance the team will recommend in its report.

Mr. Jaamdar told The Hindu that after the meeting that the team split into three groups. One group led by Mr. Bhattacharya visited Silver Jubilee Park Road, Nayandanahalli, Vrushabhavathi rivulet area, Kodigehalli lake, Thanisandra, Tannery Road, Ramamurthynagar, Koramangala, Ejipura, Kambipura, Nagawara and Sarjapur Road here. The team inspected the damage caused to bridges, roads and houses and breach of lakes. Not many people were present when the team visited the areas.

K. Rangareddy, Deputy Adviser to the Planning Commission, visited flood-hit areas in Bidar district.

Gundappa Veershetty, a farmer from Koutha (B) in Aurad taluk, complained to the team that the State Government acquired half an acre of his land for building a barrage across the Manjra three years ago. But he has not been paid compensation, he said.

Secretary for Minor Irrigation L. Venkateshaiah, Bidar Deputy Commissioner Munish Moudgal; Bidar Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Antony Mendonca and Joint Director of Agriculture Aman Shaikab accompanied the team.

Tumkur

A third group comprising Anupam Parikh, R.K. Pande and Venkatesh visited Kolala hobli in Koratagere taluk and Sira town in Tumkur district. Local officials accompanied them.

The team will meet Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh, Deputy Chief Minister M.P. Prakash, Ministers and senior officials on November 11 for a round-up.

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