Good news in the offing on central grants for flood relief: BSY

Team Udayavani, Sep 7, 2019, 12:43 PM IST

Bengaluru: Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Saturday said some good news was in the offing from the Centre amid an outcry for central aid for effective relief work in the flood-hit areas of the state.

The demand for central grants grew louder as Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the city to witness the soft landing of Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram module on the lunar surface from the ISRO centre.

ISRO’s plan to soft-land Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram module on the Lunar surface did not go as per script in the early hours of Saturday, with the lander losing communication with ground stations during its final descent.

“More than us, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is aware of the flood situation. We are expecting good news from the Centre,” Yediyurappa told reporters in Mysuru when asked about any assurance from Modi on central grants for flood relief.

The Chief Minister was in Mysuru, where he made offerings to the Kapila river at Kabini Reservoir, which is brimming.

The offering was a mark of gratitude for bringing fortune to the people living on its banks, especially the farming community.

The Chief Minister further said he spoke to Modi in Bengaluru too, though he had apprised him of the prevailing flood situation in the state.

Noting that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had toured the flood affected regions, Yediyurappa emphasised that the Centre was well aware of the damage caused by floods.

As the floods have caused immense damage, the government was focusing on flood relief for keeping aside other development works, he added.

“The flood has caused an immense damage to the state. There is a need to build 1.25 lakh houses in the state. The state government is ready to release grants for the purpose,” Yediyurappa said.

As many as 103 Taluks of 22 districts were hit by the floods last month. Approximately 7.5 lakh hectares of land was submerged in water and 82 people lost their lives.

The floods in August compelled the government to open 493 relief camps where about 2.10 lakh people were accommodated till the water receded.

Just when the government was planning to intensify its flood relief operations, another wave of a possible spate in North Karnataka, parts of coastal Karnataka and Kodagu is set to pose a challenge before the state government.