BENGALURU: At the end of a three-day whirlwind tour of areas ravaged by floods in north Karnataka, Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa on Saturday formally requested the Union government to make available at least Rs 3000 crores immediately to pay compensation to families which lost their kin, crops and property with initial estimates pegging the total loss at Rs 6,000 crores.
Mr Yediyurappa told the media he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and petition him for sanction of Rs 3,000 to help thousands of families sustain their lives at a time when they were in dire straits financially.
“Normal life has been affected as scores of villages are inundated, and many parts of the state are cut off from the rest owing to landslides on roads and rail routes in 16 districts both in north and southern parts of the state. A sum of Rs 100 crore has been released to each of the flood affected districts,” he added.
In response to a question, the Chief Minister said political differences were not hindering relief and rescue operations as all Members of Parliament and legislators have been functioning as ministers in their respective constituencies to mitigate the impact of floods.
“We are all grief-stricken. Hence, we are involving MLAs, MPs of respective constituencies, where floods have wreaked havoc,” he added. According to him, the situation in Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada districts was very grim owing to torrential rain.
“Road and rail connectivity has been affected in Mangaluru. Landslides in several parts of Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts have claimed precious lives. The state government has declared 80 taluks as affected by heavy rain and floods. As a result, I even cut short my visit to Delhi and rushed to Belagavi, Bagalakote, Gadag and Dharwad districts and took stock of the flood situation. I have met people in relief centers and consoled them. I have extended moral support to personnel and team members involved in the rescue operations,” he explained.
The CM said that as a permanent solution, villages on the banks of major rivers would be shifted to new location to avert tragedies in future.
