Hunt for flood aid: BS Yediyurappa off to Delhi

Shivamogga: Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa revealed on Tuesday that he would leave for New Delhi Thursday evening to meet Union ministers and seek aid from the Centre for rehabilitation work in flood-hit areas of the state.

He pointed out that Union ministers, Niramala Sitaraman and Amit Shah had assessed the flood situation in the state , but said that an exact picture of the damage caused would be available in a week.

Mr Yediyurappa , who was on a visit to his hometown of Shivamogga, vowed to make it a model district and his assembly constituency of Shikaripura, a model taluk of the state.  Touring the flood-hit  parts of the district to assess the damage  caused, he announced a Rs 5 lakh compensation from the state government to each of those who had lost their homes in the disaster and a Rs 1 lakh compensation for those whose houses were partially damaged by an overflowing river Tunga.

In Shivamogga city, Mr Yediyurappa  announced that a protection wall would be built for the river Tunga to prevent it from overflowing and promised to release Rs 50 crore for repair of roads, bridges and properties in the city.

At Anjanapura, he announced Rs 1, 300 crore for irrigation projects in both Shikaripura and Soraba taluks and Rs 50 crore for the initial work on  the Shivamogga airport. The Chief Minister said that under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sanmana Yojana eligible farmers would receive Rs 4,000 each from the state government and as a first instalment Rs 2,000 would be deposited in their accounts.  Urging farmers not to despair, he said they could rely on the  state government to bail them out if they were in trouble.