Members of the Dharwad Zilla Panchayat expressed discontent over the delay in disbursement of compensation money for houses that collapsed during the recent floods and the slow pace of public infrastructure restoration works, at the Karnataka Development Programmes (KDP) progress review meeting here on Wednesday.
Cutting across party lines, the members raised issues related to house collapse, crop damage, bad roads, weak bridges and improving basic amenities in rural areas due to heavy rain and floods and said that people were up in arms due to the delay in addressing these issues.
Panchayat president Vijaylakshmi Patil, who chaired the meeting, said that monsoon rain has extensively damaged public and private property and crops in the district. The officials have to speed up restoration work and see that villagers did not face any problem in reaching the district headquarters.
Rural roads have been washed away and farmers are unable to transport their produce. The officials have to identify roads that are in poor condition and take up road development works at the earliest, she said.
Panchayat Deputy Secretary S.G. Koravar said that the panchayat has taken up not less than 16,581 works under the MGNREGA and till September-end, 5,412 works have been completed. The entire government machinery has been involved in flood relief works and the target would be reached before the deadline.
Agriculture Department Joint Director S.S. Abeed said that the department has procured seeds and fertilizers for rabi sowing and it is distributing them through the Raith Sampark Kendra. There is no shortage of seeds or fertilizers in the district. The officials have been told not to create any problem for farmers in getting seeds and fertilizers, he added.
Health officials said that Ayushman Bharat has been effectively implemented in the district and a mass campaign has been taken up asking eligible people to enrol themselves under the health scheme. This apart, health volunteers are touring every village creating awareness on epidemics and the necessary precautions to be taken to contain the spread of diseases.
Animal Husbandry officials said that a Foot-and-Mouth disease vaccination drive has commenced in the district and 2.76 lakh head of cattle would be vaccinated. Publicity programme on the need to vaccinate cattle too is going on. Special teams would visit every household between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. and administer vaccine to cattle, they added.
The officials from the Horticulture Department, the Education Department, the Panchayat Raj and Engineering wing, Minor Irrigation and the Public Works Department briefed the meeting on the progress achieved by their departments till September-end.
