Bureaucrats must speed up drought relief works: HDK

Bangalore, Apr 9: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy today asked the bureaucrats to gear up drought relief works and take up supply of drinking water on a priority basis as already 130 taluks are facing severe drought condition in the State. Addressing a meeting of the Deputy Commissioners here, he said that the officers should adopt humanitarian attitude in solving the problems of the people particularly the poor, women, widows, aged and the exploited classes.

Stating that during his 'Janata Darshan' and 'Village Stay' the problem of drinking water in the rural areas was the main complaint received frequently, Mr Kumaraswamy regretted saying that the officials are not responding effectively to solve the problems.

"It was your responsibility to draw the attention of the government on this issue and it is sad that you had failed in taking up the problems faced by the people facing," he added.

Asking the bureaucrats to stop unhealthy trend of spending funds for budgeted programmes towards the end of the year, he said that immediate steps should be taken to implement the welfare programmes.

Referring to the media reports on the sale of female children in Lambani tanda in his taluk of Ramanagar, he said he had already gathered the information on this and would visit the tanda in the next few days.

Revenue Minister Jagadish Shattar and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister C M Udasi besides Deputy Commissioners, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officers, Principal Secretaries attended the meeting.

UNI