Central team visits flood-ravaged, rain-hit areas of K'taka

Bangalore, Aug 24: A Central team, headed by Mr V N Gaur, Joint Secretary, Union Home Ministry, today visited several flood-ravaged and rain-hit parts of Karnataka to assess the extent of damage.

The six-member team divided itself into three groups and visited various parts of Belgaum, Shimoga, Raichur and Bijapur districts.

A report from Hubli said the team headed by Union Rural Development Ministry Director Vatsala Kutti, visited the flood-affected areas of Belgaum district.

A three-member team, comprising Union Planning Commission Water Resources Divisional Officer S Haldar and Finance Secretariat Assistant Director R P Yadav, besides Ms Kutti first inspected Bellary nala on the outskirts of Belgaum city and then left for flood affected areas of Chikkodi and Athani taluks. Ms Gaur also accompanied the team.

Belgaum district administration officials apprised the team members about the situation.

In Shimoga, team members R K Pandey and Dhinesh Chand covered rain-ravaged Mandagadde, Bharathipura, Kukke, Vittalanagudi and Araga villages in Thirthahalli taluk and took stock of situation.

They also interacted with the people.

Local MLA Araga Jnanendra told UNI that the team members were informed about the havoc wreaked by torrential rains and floods.

He said that the district and taluk officials also took the team members to rain-ravaged villages in Thirthahalli taluk including Mandagadde, Bharathipura, Kukke, Araga and Vittalanagudi where the team members had also interacted with the people.

Mr Jnanendra said a memorandum was submitted to them seeking Rs 35 crore to take up immediate relief works in the area. Top district officials, including Deputy Commissioner, accompanied the team. The team also assessed the situation in two worst-affected villages in Raichur district. The team would be visiting Bijapur, Bagalkot and Gulbarga tomorrow.

Floods had wreaked havoc in Belgaum, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bagalkot and Bijapur districts in North Karnataka, which had recorded lowest rainfall in the last three decades, following heavy discharge of water from the dams of rain-hit Maharashtra.

The state government had submitted a memorandum to the Centre seeking a financial assistance of Rs 1400 crore and an additional three lakh tonnes of foodgrains to combat both flood and drought situation in the state.

It had also urged President A P J Abdul Kalam during his visit to the state recently to intervene and prevail upon the Centre to release an interim relief of Rs 100 crore.

UNI