Monsoon claims 206 lives in K'taka: Shettar

Bangalore, July 27 (UNI) The Southwest monsoon has claimed 206 lives and damaged properties worth more than Rs 406 crore in Karnataka since April this year, Revenue Minister Jagadish Shettar informed the Legislative Council today.

Replying to a discussion raised under Rule 68 on damages caused by floods in the state, he said 46,647 houses were either fully or partially damaged and as many as 2786 cattle perished since April this year.

Mr Shettar said due to heavy rainfall agricultural crops in 25,561 hectares of land and horticulture crops in 13,286 acres were washed away in the floods.

The state government had appraised the Centre about the situation and sought release of additional funds under the National Calamity Relief Fund, he said adding the Union Government had sent an eight-member team, who were currently touring the rain-affected districts in the state to assess the damage.

Denying allegations levelled by opposition that the state government had failed to effectively tackle the flood situation, Mr Shettar said official machinery plunged into action to help the affected people.

Stating that Ministers in-charge of the Districts had visited the flood-affected areas and personally monitored the relief works, Mr Shettar said the government took all measures to help the flood-affected people as per the Centre's guidelines.

The state government had paid Rs 50,000 as compensation to the next to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 more would be released shortly. It had also released funds to rebuild the damaged houses, he said.

Based on the Central legislation for setting up of State and District-level Disaster Management Authority, such an Authority had already been set up under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. However, there was some delay in framing rules and guidelines and it would be done soon, he added.

The Minister said based on previous year's experience precautions have been taken to monitor the release of water from Koyna reservoir in Maharashtra. The state officials were in constant touch with their Maharashtra counterpart, which helped in containing the submergence of villages in Bhima and Krishna rivers.

However, not satisfied with the reply, the opposition Congress members led by their leader H K Patil staged a walkout.

UNI