K'taka floods: Cong demands release of Rs 5,000 cr as interim relief

Karnataka Congress leaders on Thursday met with Governor Vajubhai Vala and demanded that flood situation in the state should be declared "national calamity" and a fund of Rs 5,000 crores should be released from Centre as interim relief.

"Situation in Karnataka should be declared as 'National Calamity'. There should be an immediate release of Rs 5,000 crores as interim relief. The centre should provide special grants for drought-affected areas for this year," a memorandum of demands submitted to the governor by the Congress leaders read.

Stating that 88 people have died in flood-related incidents, Congress also outlined the loss of life and livestock in the region and said: "88 persons have died due to floods, thousands of cattles have perished. Lakhs of hectares of standing crops and horticultural farms have been damaged irreparably. More than lakh houses have been damaged, consequently, thousands of people are in relief centres in the various parts".

The party also alleged that Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahalad Joshi, Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Dr Sadanand Gowda, MoS for Railways Suresh Angadi have visited flood-affected areas for "namesake".

The Congress said that the Government of India has not yet declared the situation in Karnataka as "Natural Calamity".

"No funds or Special Grants have been released by the Government of India out of Natural Calamity Fund," it said.

"Government of Karnataka has only released Rs 374 crores to meet this severe situation," read the letter.

The Congress party also stated that the damages in the flood-affected areas are more than Rs 32,000 crores.