The Hindu : Karnataka News : Flood situation poorly handled: Congress

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Friday, Aug 31, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Flood situation poorly handled: Congress

Staff Correspondent

‘Coalition partners concerned only about power transfer’

No flood relief distributed in State: Dharam Singh
Congress will try to get more funds from Centre: Kharge

HAVERI: The former Chief Minister Dharam Singh and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge have alleged that the coalition Government is obsessed with the issue of power transfer and has failed to respond to the problems faced by flood-affected people in the State.

While addressing presspersons here on Thursday, senior Congress leaders were critical of the manner in which the Government handled the flood situation.

‘Lethargic’

Mr. Dharam Singh alleged that not a single penny had been given as flood relief in the State as “lethargic” officials were still in the process of conducting surveys in flood-affected areas.

The Chief Minister and other Ministers had been saying that they had released Rs. 2 crore to each district for flood relief work.

But apart from setting up gruel centres, which too had failed to function properly, there had been little relief for the affected people, Mr. Singh said.

In Haveri district, there had been loss to the tune of Rs. 40 crore. But people had not received any compensation, he said.

Coalition partners had been just blaming the Union Government for non-release of grants.

But Rs. 250 crore had been released by the Centre under the Natural Calamity Fund, Mr. Singh said.

“How can they approach the Union Government for further funds when their survey has not been completed?” he asked.

Mr. Kharge said that the coalition partners were concerned only about transfer of power.

Expressing support to the former Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s statements with regard to development work in Satanur, Mr. Kharge questioned the rationale behind laying foundation stones for various projects when there was no administrative approval.

On getting more relief from the Centre, he said that Congress leaders would go to New Delhi to apprise the Union Government of the actual situation in the State and try to get more funds.

Mr. Kharge said there was no alliance with anybody as far as the Congress was concerned and the party would take a decision only after considering the developments on and after October 3.

Both the leaders later visited flood-affected villages in the district including Kanchargatti, Choudadanapur, Chandapur, Mushtur and Guttal.

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