Flood damage report soon; more aid packages requested from Centre: BSY

Team Udayavani, Aug 26, 2020, 12:12 PM IST

Belgaum, Bagalkot, Vijayapura: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said that the comprehensive report of the damage by the floods will be sent to the Centre soon and he will visit Delhi next week to demand more relief packages for the State.

The chief minister was speaking after conducting an aerial survey of flood-affected areas in northern Karnataka.

The chief minister inspected the flood-affected areas near the Krishna, Malaprabha, Ghatprabha, Vedaganga and Doodhganga rivers. He also met with officials and representatives from Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Belgaum, Dharwad and Gadag districts and obtained information about the situation from them.

Yediyurappa further stated that plans are afoot to convene a meeting of all legislators shortly and provide adequate compensation for the damage caused. All information will be forwarded to the central government. Lawmakers have been instructed to address people’s issues in their areas.

The CM has also instructed the district authorities to release the necessary grants with them for relief works stating that in the Belgaum district, Rs 412 crore is available for flood relief and other urgent works, Rs 174 crore is available for house construction and Rs 488 crore has already been released to 44,156 beneficiaries who had lost their homes in the floods.

“The state’s financial position will improve in the next two to three months. Despite the economic situation, none of the necessary development works has been stopped. All government employees have been paid their salaries. Aid beneficiaries whose homes were destroyed in floods last year have been receiving grants in their accounts to rebuild their houses. This year’s damage survey is in progress, however, this time much damage was done to the roads, bridges, crops and houses. Crop damage relief will be remedied as per NDRF guidelines,” he said.

“Next month I will meet the Prime Minister and request him to provide financial aid for the Krishna Overlay Project. I had a discussion with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Prahlada Joshi to release the GST owed to the State,” Yediyurappa said.