The Union government is expected to announce relief fund to Karnataka for undertaking rehabilitation work in flood-affected areas only after a survey of the areas by a Central team. The team is expected to arrive in the next few days, according to sources.
Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Friday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum seeking immediate release of grants for undertaking rehabilitation works in the flood-hit areas. “The Prime Minister assured [us] that a Central study team will visit soon to assess the damage,” Mr. Yediyurappa told reporters after the meeting.
- Human lives lost: 65
- People missing: 14
- Animal deaths: 941
- Number of people evacuated: 6,97,948
- Animals rescued: 51,460
- Relief camps operating: 849
- People in relief camps: 3,20,106
- Taluks affected: 103 taluks in 22 districts
- Crops lost on: 6.9 lakh hectares of land
- Houses damaged: 74,374
“We had a long discussion and will be briefing Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and a team of experts. We have asked for a long-term plan as well as an immediate sanction to tackle this situation,” Mr. Yediyurappa said. Water release from reservoirs in Maharashtra, coupled with incessant rain, led to inundation of many areas in the State, he said.
In a memorandum, the Chief Minister stated that from August 3 to 10 the State received the highest rainfall in the last 118 years. The rain havoc destroyed public and private properties worth ₹40,000 crore. “About ₹40,000 crore is what we think is the amount needed for the rehabilitation, including reconstruction of roads and bridges,” he said.
The death toll in the floods has crossed 60 while at least 14 people are still missing. The total number of houses damaged is close to 60,000 while standing crops on close to 5 lakh hectares have been damaged. A total of 630 bridges, 4,000 km of roads and 54,000 electricity poles and transformers have been damaged. Nearly four lakh people have been provided shelter in relief camps.
Chief Secretary T.M. Vijay Bhaskar, and Union Ministers Suresh Angadi and Prahlad Joshi, were present during the meeting with Mr. Modi. The Chief Minister also called upon Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and discussed various railway projects and development works in Karnataka.
Clarification on naming villages
Following opposition from the Congress as well flood-hit villagers, the Yediyurappa government has clarified that it will name only newly developed layouts after companies donating more than ₹10 crore towards relief fund and not the entire villages.
After a meeting with corporate heads on Wednesday, the Chief Minister had announced that the State government was willing to name flood-hit villages after companies that donate over ₹10 crore for their rehabilitation.
Mr. Yediyurappa took to Twitter on Friday to clarify that it is not villages but residential layouts that would be named after such companies.
Congress taunts BSY’s Delhi ‘yatras’
The Congress on Friday hit out at Mr. Yediyurappa for embarking on “yatras” from Bengaluru to Delhi and back and doing nothing concrete for actually helping the flood-affected people in south and north Karnataka districts.
“Mr. Yediyurappa is only doing danda yatra from Bengaluru to Delhi and back,” V.S. Ugrappa, former MP, said. KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao and senior leaders D.K. Shivakumar and G. Parameshwara alleged that the State had been given a step-motherly treatment by the Modi government.
“Why is the Centre afraid to immediately announce relief fund to the State?” asked Dr. Parameshwara.
Instead of bringing the Prime Minister for assessing the rain damage, the Chief Mintier had been often visiting Delhi, Mr. Ugrappa said, ridiculing Mr. Yediyurappa.
The BJP central leadership has not even allowed the Chief Minister to expand his one-man Cabinet. “How are you tolerating the high command? Don’t you have self-respect?” Mr. Ugrappa asked.
