Karnataka - Belgaum   

Raise height of roads, bridges in flood-hit areas: Union Minister

Staff Correspondent

Officials told to take steps to provide immediate relief to victims of floods

Belgaum: Union Minister without portfolio Oscar Fernandes has asked the district authorities to accord priority to raising the height of roads and bridges in flood-hit areas and those facing threat of submersion, so that the areas would not be cut off during floods.

He visited flood-affected Manjri, Jugul and Shirguppi villages of Chikkodi taluk in the afternoon on Wednesday. He spoke to villagers and officials and asked the latter to take steps to provide immediate relief to the victims of floods and protect lives of the people in villages on the banks of the Krishna.

He was accompanied by Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council H.K. Patil, former Minister Prakash B. Hukkeri and KLE Society Chairman Prabhakar B. Kore. Revenue Minister visited localities affected by floods in Ghataprabha river in Gokak town and Masguppi village nearby.

Fear of flood continues to haunt the villages on the banks of Krishna as the river is receiving heavy inflow from reservoirs and barrages in Maharashtra. On Wednesday, 2,42,335 cusecs of water was being released into Krishna river. Meanwhile, the district administration put the total loss owing to flood and incessant rainfall in the district at Rs. 181.84 crore, even as it maintained that the losses to crops would be assessed only after the water receded from the fields.

`Campaign against AIDS'

Mr. Oscar Fernandes has called upon society to launch a movement against HIV/AIDS. Inaugurating an awareness programme on Drug Abuse and HIV/AIDS organised jointly by NSUI and KLE Hospital here on Wednesday, he said citizens should protect themselves from the disease, which was fast spreading in the Asian subcontinent. He stressed the need to sensitise doctors on the disease as some were indifferent to HIV-positive patients.

Mr. H.K. Patil urged the centre to declare ban on gutka in the country to save the youth from cancer. Mr. Prabhakar B. Kore presided over the function.

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