Cong. leaders accuse Karjol of being insensitive to flood-hit people

They want him replaced as Kalaburagi district in-charge Minister

Congress leaders B.R. Patil, Sharan Prakash Patil and others addressing a media conference in Kalaburagi on Thursday.

KALABURAGI

Coming down on Deputy Chief Minister and Kalaburagi in-charge Govind Karjol over handling of the flood situation in the district, Congress leaders Sharan Prakash Patil, B.R. Patil, Allam Prabhu and Jagadev Guttedar said that the in-charge Minister was insensitive to the people’s sorrows and sufferings.

“Kalaburagi district is witnessing the worst rains and floods in the last 50 years. Large tracts of lands with standing crops are submerged and thousands of houses have collapsed. With the submergence of several bridges, the connectivity between villages and towns has been cut for days. Several tanks are breached flooding downstream fields and villages. With the loss of crops, the farmers are staring at a horrible future. Rivers and streams are overflowing posing threats to the villages along their courses. No officer is reachable and no Minister is approachable. Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol, who is in charge of Kalaburagi and who is supposed to stand by the people when they are in distress, is nowhere to be seen in the district. We have to lodge a missing complaint. Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa should take note of Mr. Karjol’s failure in addressing flood-related issues and replace him with someone else as district In-charge,” Mr. B.R. Patil said.

The Congress leaders were addressing a media conference here on Thursday.

Criticising the State government for its way of handling natural calamities, Mr. Sharan Prakash Patil said that he had no hopes that the BJP government in the State would help the flood-hit people in the district.

“BJP has always been very insensitive to people’s problems. It never comes forward to help the people when they are in trouble. It is very much evident in the way the BJP government handled the flood situation in Belagavi and other parts in Mumbai Karnataka region. It is again showing the same disinterest and insensitivity in the case of floods in Kalaburagi. 75% of the crops were destroyed in the rains that lashed the district a few days ago. The remaining 25% is being destroyed in the present rains. Yet, neither district in-charge Minister Mr. Karjol visited the district nor any BJP MLAs did anything to help the people in trouble,” Mr. Sharan Prakash Patil said.

The Congress leaders also appealed to Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to conduct an aerial survey of the flood-hit regions along with the Union government’s team and take measures to pay compensation to the victims.

“Kalaburagi district has only one NDRF team and it is not able to handle the flood situation all alone. I appeal to the government to put one more NDRF team. The government should also pay compensation of ₹10,000 an acre to all flood-hit farmers. We, the Congress party, are ready to assist and help the government in handling the flood situation. But, the government need to take the initiative.