The Hindu : Karnataka News : Rains claim 74 lives in State

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Karnataka

Karnataka

Rains claim 74 lives in State

Special Correspondent

11 districts receive copious rains
in July
Compensation to the kin of dead doubled

G. Karunakar Reddy

BANGALORE: Heavy rains have claimed the lives of 74 people and damaged 1,465 houses in the State since June 1.

Minister for Revenue G. Karunakara Reddy informed the Legislative Assembly on Friday that the compensation to crop loss, damages to houses and other properties would be increased, the Minister said.

The State received 391 mm of rain from June 1 to July 16 against the normal 328 mm, an excess of 19 per cent. The rainfall was 33 per cent deficit during the same period last year.

Heavy rains and lightning claimed 57 lives in June and 17 so far in July. As many as 306 heads of cattle died. Compensation provided to the kin of those killed would be doubled from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 2 lakh, he said.

Mr. Reddy said the southwest monsoon was heavy in Malnad and coastal Karnataka. Rainfall in June was 156 mm against the normal 189 mm, deficit of 18 per cent. In July (till 16), the rainfall was 235 mm against the normal 139 mm, excess of 69 per cent.

The Malnad districts (Kodagu, Hassan, Chikmagalur and Shimoga) received 569 mm of rainfall, excess of 103 per cent, in July. The July rainfall in the region was highest in the last 29 years.

The costal districts (Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Uttara Kannada) received 999 mm of rain against the normal 564 mm, excess of 77 per cent. The costal region received highest rainfall during the last 39 years.

Eleven inflatable boats have been pressed into service in the region to shift the people to safe places, Mr. Reddy said.

Though there was tardy progress in estimating the damage to houses, crops, roads and electricity utilities, Mr. Reddy said Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 2 crore had been released to districts for taking up relief works. Control rooms had been set up in flooded affected districts and food and medicines have been supplied to rain affected people. Regular contacts have been maintained with Deputy Commissioners to provide all kinds of support to the people, he said.

On September 10, 2008, the Government had submitted a proposal to the Centre seeking Rs. 516 crore from the NCCF. But the State had received only Rs. 1.86 crore. Compared to Karnataka, the Centre had released 300 per cent, 182 per cent and 122 per cent more respectively to Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Punjab. The Centre has adopted biased approach while releasing funds to Karnataka under the NCCF, Mr. Reddy alleged. Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah alleged that Mr. Reddy had been misleading the House by providing wrong information on release of funds by the Centre. The Centre had released Rs. 288.65 crore in 2008-09 and the State had not spent Rs. 127 crore. The Government had not made any effort to get funds from the Centre, he said.

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