Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has instructed officials to disburse all pending relief amount among flood victims. At a meeting at the government guest house here on Sunday, he asked officers to ensure that all those who have lost their houses are properly compensated.
“Officers should act with responsibility and human empathy. If they face any problems, they have to contact the senior officers concerned and resolve all issues,” he said. He said that there is no dearth of funds for flood relief. There has been heavy rainfall for a week now. Officers of revenue, police and irrigation departments should be in constant touch with their counterparts in Maharashtra for exchange of information, he said. There are reports that inflow from Maharashtra could increase in the next two or three days. The State government is ready to manage the situation, he said.
Officers told him that 113 villages in seven taluks are facing floods. Over 8,900 persons are housed in 89 relief centres.
Revenue Minister R. Ashok said that the State government has written to the Union government to increase allocation under National Disaster Response Fund norms. Officers can purchase medicine and other essential commodities under NDRF. “If you need more, please send a detailed proposal,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol, who is in charge of and Public Works, said that the district has suffered a damage of around ₹1,200 crore. He urged Mr. Yediyurappa to release ₹170 crore for immediate relief. According to him, 1,400 km of road and 305 bridges have been damaged.
Mr. Karjol asked officers to distribute relief to farmers whose cattle have died. Officers have impounded 72 tmcft of water in the Alamatti dam. Outflow will be maintained based on the minimum amount of water to be retained in the dam, he said in reply to a request from Deputy Chief Minister Lakshman Savadi to release water from dams on the Krishna.
Mr. Karjol asked officers to allot houses to those who were not allotted houses during the last floods.
MLA Mahantesh Koujalagi urged the Chief Minister to release all pending relief. MLA Lakshmi Hebbalkar felt the amount released to each constituency was not enough.
MLA Anil Benake urged the Chief Minister to sanction funds to find a permanent solution to the floods in Belagavi city. This could be done by building a network of channels around the city, he said.
MLA Anjali Nimbalkar complained of scarcity of medicine in government hospitals and lack of fodder in stock in the taluks.
Deputy Commissioner M.G. Hiremath said that heavy rain had claimed three lives in the district. As many as 40 houses have completely collapsed and 1,200 partially damaged, he said. Of the 37 bridges that were submerged, alternative routes are available for 35. The Deputy Commissioner said that the loss estimate would be completed in a week.
