The Hindu : Karnataka News : 5,900 people displaced as rain lashes Haveri district

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 10, 2007
ePaper

Karnataka

Karnataka

5,900 people displaced as rain lashes Haveri district

Staff Correspondent

Government is thinking of shifting flood-prone villages in district: Shettar

14 villages have been inundated
34 gruel centres opened

HOSARITTI (HAVERI DISTRICT): As many as 5,900 people in Haveri district have been displaced owing to heavy rain and floods in the Varada, Dharma, Kumudwati and Tungabhadra in the past five days. Fourteen villages in the district have been inundated.

Life in 40 villages has been affected and 34 gruel centres have been set up for the affected people. Revenue Minister Jagadish Shettar and Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj C.M. Udasi spoke to presspersons at Hosaritti after reviewing the steps taken by the district administration to tackle the situation.

Mr. Udasi said that the loss had been estimated at Rs. 8 crore initially. The district had received Rs. 1 crore from the State Government, which was being utilised for the rehabilitation of the affected people and taking up emergency works.

He said the average rainfall in the district for August was 102.96 mm. However, in the first eight days of August itself, the district received 163.58 mm of rain, which led to overflowing of several tanks and floods in the rivers.

He said the crop loss was yet to be assessed farmland in many areas of the district had been submerged. As many as 425 km of roads under zilla panchayat had been damaged. The Public Works Department was in the process of assessing the damage to its roads, he added.

Mr. Udasi said power supply in 70 villages had been disrupted. He would take steps to get additional funds released for the district to take up relief works.

Mr. Shettar said the Government was thinking of shifting the flood-prone villages. The Government would consider proposals in this regard apart from taking up steps for raising the height of roads and bridges and carrying out repair works.

Mr Shettar clarified that the Union Government had revised the compensation to be given to the affected people. While the compensation on account death had been increased from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh, owners of a damaged house would be eligible for up to Rs. 25,000. A maximum compensation of Rs. 12,000 would be given to owners of partially damaged houses, he said.

Mr. Shettar said that he along with Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had submitted a proposal seeking Rs. 407 crore for relief works. The Union Government had sent its team of officials for a survey. The team had submitted its report to the Union Government. He expressed confidence that the Union Government would release funds at the earliest. As many as 237 people died in the State in rain-related incidents in the past three months, he said. As many as 46,647 houses and 7,979 km of roads, 670 public buildings, 6,291 electrical installations, and 106 water supply schemes had been damaged, he said. Mr. Shettar said the relief sought earlier was for the damage caused by rain till July end.

Deputy commissioners had been directed to assess the loss and submit reports, he said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka