GULBARGA: Agriculture Marketing Minister Sharanabasappa Darshanapur on Sunday accused the Centre of according step-motherly treatment to the State in the sanction of relief to tackle the flood situation in north Karnataka. He said it should release funds to the State immediately.

The Minister accompanied by his Cabinet colleague Revu Naik (Animal Husbandry) and senior officials toured the flood-hit villages in Gulbarga taluk, Jewargi and Afzalpur taluks.

He said the situation was grim with standing crops in more than two lakh hectares affected due to the floods in the Krishna and Bhima in Gulbarga, Afzalpur, Jewargi, Chitapur, Shahpur, Yadgir and Surpur taluks.

He said the Union Government, which had sanctioned Rs. 400 crore and Rs. 200 crore to Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh respectively, had so far not announced any relief to the State which was also equally affected.

Mr. Darshanapur said the State Government had released Rs. 3 crore to Gulbarga district. If more funds were required by the district administration for relief works the State Government would release it.

The Minister said 44 villages in the district had been affected and in more than 20 communication links had either totally or partially affected due to the overflowing of the Bhima, Krishna and its tributaries.

Mr. Darshanapur and Mr. Naik were forced to drop their visit to Hagaragundigi, Kavalga and Aurad K. villages in Gulbarga taluk due to the flooding of the low-level bridge connecting Farhatabad and Hagaragundigi.

The affected people in Saradgi and Ferozabad villages pleaded with the Ministers to find a permanent solution to the recurring floods. They also demanded adequate compensation to farmers who lost their crops.

Mr. Darshanapur later motored down to Kattisangavi village on the outskirts of Jewargi town and saw the raising level of the Bhima at Kattisangavi bridge.

Although the district administration has not stopped vehicular traffic on the bridge till Sunday evening, official sources said that if the water level continued to rise, traffic would be stopped as a precautionary measure.

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