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| Shift villages prone to floods, CM to officials |
| BS Reporter / Chennai/ Hubli Oct 08, 2009, 01:47 IST |
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Addressing a meeting of elected representatives and officials at Hubli on Tuesday after visiting Gadag, Savadatti and Karwar, Karnataka chief minister Yeddyurappa instructed the officials to complete the process of shifting the villages prone to flooding, within one year, to ensure permanent relief to such villages.
He said he will take the opposition parties into confidence to decide the quantum of relief to be given to those who have lost crop due to heavy rains and flooding. The farmers would be provided seeds and fertiliser at a considerably subsidised price, he assured.
The CM instructed the officials to concentrate on providing quick relief to the affected people without allowing for any mischief by touts. He asked them not to go on leave, and work overnight to ensure the relief work is not hampered. To augment funds for the relief work he said the public works department would be asked to concentrate on restoring road connectivity and added that there would no construction of new buildings by the PWD. However, the ongoing work will be completed, he added.
Yeddyurappa told officials to take healthcare measures to protect people affected by floods from possible epidemics.
Meanwhile, Yeddyurappa has appealed to President Pratibha Patil for her intervention in impressing upon the Centre to immediately release funds to the state to take up relief and rehabilitation works in flood-affected areas. Referring to President Pratibha Patil’s concern over the calamity in North Karnataka districts, he said the Centre should take cue from her and extend maximum help to the state.
Patil spoke to Yeddyurappa over telephone yesterday and expressed her concern over the flood-situation that has left behind a trail of destruction and loss of 206 lives as of last evening. Yeddyurappa, in a letter to the President, said the state government has already requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to release Rs 10,000 crore for such works and has urged the Centre to declare the floods as a national calamity.
According to officials, the prime minister is expected to conduct an aerial survey of the affected regions on Friday. The preliminary estimate of the loss by rain and flash floods in 15 districts of Karnataka has been pegged at around Rs 17,000 crore. Nearly 300,000 houses have been partly or fully damaged.
Standing crop in 2.5 million hectares has been extensively damaged. The standing bridges, drinking water installations and power supply infrastructure in 15 districts have been damaged to a great extent, Yeddyurappa said. Meanwhile, 660,000 people have been accommodated in 1,619 relief camps. As many as 5,197 persons have been rescued by boats and helicopters.
MP Prahlad Joshi explained the recurring problems caused by flooding of Benne Halla and Tuppari Halla streams in Dharwad district and appealed to him to transfer the management of the two streams from minor irrigation department to major irrigation department to ensure a permanent solution.
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