D. Vedavyasa Kamath, Mangaluru City South MLA, on Saturday, August 3, urged the State government to declare a special package of ₹300 crores for Dakshina Kannada to restore the infrastructural damages heavy rains caused to public and private properties.
Addressing presspersons, the MLA said several houses were damaged and collapsed, hillocks and retaining walls slipped, roads, stormwater drains, and ‘rajakaluves’ were damaged due to above-normal rainfall in the district in the last two months. Houses were damaged due to tree falls, floodwater entering houses, and other rain-related factors.
Mr. Kamath said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has declared that under the guidelines of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), ₹1.20 lakh will be given to a completely damaged house, and ₹50,000 will be released to a partially damaged house, as a relief. Mr. Siddaramaiah did not mention anything about providing compensation if stormwater enters a house.
But when B.S. Yediyurappa was the Chief Minister, he announced ₹5 lakh relief to a completely damaged house and ₹2.50 lakh to a partially damaged house. In addition, he declared ₹10,000 to such a house affected by the entry of flood water. The same was continued when Basavaraj Bommai became the Chief Minister.
The MLA said that when R. Ashok was the Revenue Minister, he released funds to rain-affected families from the State fund without waiting for the NDRF fund. Mr. Ashok had declared compensation from the State for the death of cattle and sheep in natural calamities.
Now, the compensation declared by Mr. Siddaramaiah is not enough to such affected families.
Alleging that the State government is heading towards bankruptcy, the MLA said it should at least release the NDRF relief to flood and rain affected families.
Criticising the Chief Minister for not visiting the flood-affected areas, the MLA said that Mr. Siddaramaiah, who is entangled in various scams, is busy in saving his chair.
The MLA said that Mr. Siddaramaiah held a meeting in Mangaluru last year to review the damage caused by the rain and address the problems. None of the problems discussed in the meeting were addressed later. They remain the same.
