Karnataka - Gulbarga   

Dharam Singh tours flood-affected areas in Gulbarga district

Special Correspondent

Affected people complain about lack of action from the Government

GULBARGA: Former Chief Minister and leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly N. Dharam Singh on Sunday toured the flood-hit villages on the banks of the Bhima in Gulbarga, Jewargi and Afzalpur taluks.

At Saradgi village, a large number of people mobbed Mr. Singh and complained about the lack of relief measures.

They said large tracts of agricultural land had been inundated by the floodwaters causing extensive damage to standing crops, and that no official or elected representative had visited the village.

The villagers said the Government had not opened relief camps or shifted the affected people to relief centres set up elsewhere.

`Situation serious'

Mr. Singh said the situation in the village was serious and that the district administration should have taken measures to provide immediate relief to the affected people.

Mr. Singh then visited Kattisanghavi bridge.

He also went to Kattisanghavi village, which was cut off from the rest of the State, and other villages, including Naribol.

He saw the extensive damage caused to the standing crops on the banks of the river in the village.

People at Kattisanghavi told Mr. Singh that the entire village and 11 others were without power for the past two days and Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company officials had not taken measures to restore power.

Revenue Department officials, including Assistant Commissioner Nagappa, who accompanied the former Chief Minister, explained the relief measures taken up in the affected villages.

They said that as the water level in the river was receding the situation was likely to return to normal in 36 hours.

Later, Mr. Singh visited Mandharwad village near Kudi Darga in Jewargi taluk and expressed displeasure over the lack of relief measures in the affected areas.

He urged the Government to sanction more funds for stepping up relief operations in the affected areas.

He expressed unhappiness over the manner in which the review of the flood situation was conducted by Chief Minister in Gulbarga on Saturday, where Congress legislator Sharanaprakash Patil was not allowed to air his views.

"This is not the way a Chief Minister should conduct a review meeting. Full opportunity should have been given to the legislator to express his views."

At the review meeting, Mr. Singh said, the Chief Minister failed to announce any specific relief to the flood-hit district and also did not seek details of the extent of loss to crops. He did not reveal how the Government would deal with the problem.

He visited Devangoan bridge near Sonna village in Afzalpur taluk and some of the affected villages.

Later, he held discussions with the Revenue Department officials on the relief operations taken up so far.

The former president of the zilla panchayat and chairman of the Karnataka State Horticulture Producers' Society Allamprabhu Patil accompanied Mr. Singh.

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