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Responding to Karnataka's needs

Karnataka's demand for an adequate package of Central aid to mitigate the damage caused by floods — as well as drought — in the State, and its complaint of inequities in the matter vis-à-vis Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, ought to be given due weight by New Delhi. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy took the rather extraordinary step of appealing to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam while he was on a visit to Karnataka, to intervene on the State's behalf. The Government had submitted memoranda to the Centre earlier this month on the havoc, attributing the floods mainly to heavy releases by Maharashtra from upstream dams on the Krishna and the Bhima and pointing out that the affected districts, except Belgaum, had received little rainfall prior to the floods. Its demand is for Rs.906.72 crore to tackle flood damage, and another Rs.500 crore, besides three lakh tonnes of foodgrains, for drought relief. Considering that the Centre readily announced a well-deserved relief of Rs.400 crore to Andhra Pradesh and Rs.200 crore to Maharashtra, Karnataka's plea for Rs.100 crore as interim relief seems prima facie reasonable — even allowing for a certain element of exaggeration that is usually noticed in such contexts. The fact that Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra are Congress-ruled States, while Karnataka is not, should not really be allowed to make any difference in the treatment.

A Central Government team will doubtless be able to make an informed assessment of the situation. But time is of the essence, and the States should have the resources to deploy in a timely manner to alleviate the misery of the people, help resume agricultural operations, and aid infrastructure restoration. In Andhra Pradesh, the human toll exceeded 110 and 2 lakh hectares of farmland were affected. The number of districts hit was 16. In Maharashtra, while the extent of farmland affected was about the same as in Andhra Pradesh, as many as 19 districts were hit. In Karnataka, according to Government figures, 123 people died and standing crops over 1.49 lakh hectares in 22 districts were damaged. Large-scale evacuation minimised deaths. Beyond post facto relief, the thrust should now be on long-term measures. In Karnataka, the construction of more barrages across the Bhima, for instance, is an imperative. The Government's plea to the Centre for the resettlement of a large number of villages on the natural flood plain of the Bhima is pending. The issue of maintaining prudent and optimal storage levels, also taking into account the interests of downstream States, should be discussed. Effective management of such calamities by the States should not be lost sight of amidst complaints of discrimination and demands for Central funding.

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