Bidar: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s visit to the flood affected areas of Bidar and Kalaburagi on Tuesday turned out to be a damp squib. Groups of specially dressed Lambani women lined up to receive him as thousands of farmers were brought in hired vehicles to the venue of a public meeting on the outskirts of Sai Toogao village in Bhalki taluk bordering Maharashtra.
The Chief Minister, who arrived an hour late, skipped the scheduled aerial survey and went straight to the venue of the meeting to address the farmers, only stopping to see samples of various damaged crops like soyabean and black gram.
The public meeting too was wound up in less than half an hour as he had to rush to Kalaburagi to make a so-called aerial survey of the flood affected areas there. Mr Siddaramaiah was in such a hurry that other than him only district in-charge minister Eshwar Khandre, was allowed to speak.
Landing at Korawar village in Chittapur taluk in his helicopter, he spent a few minutes with the officers, who briefed him about the flood damage in the district, before he set off for Bidar on his way back to Bengaluru.
In his address at Sai Toogao village earlier, Mr Siddaramaiah announced immediate release of Rs 102 crore compensation for flood damage.
