Karnataka Opp leader Dharam Singh calls for Central Ministers visit

Bangalore, Sep 20 (UNI) Opposition leader in Karnataka Legislative Assembly N Dharam Singh today urged Home Minister Shivaraj Patil to send a Central Minister immediately to visit rain affected districts of the North Karnataka following heavy downpour.

Speaking to newsmen here, he said that standing crops were damaged and hundreds of houses were collapsed due to heavy downpour.

Besides, roads and bridges had also been damaged and the human misery was heartrending in these areas, he explained. The situation called for immediate action and the centre should release adequate grants in this regard, he urged.

He said the rains had affected Gadag, Bagalkot, Raichur, Koppal, Dharwar, Bellary and Gulbarga district.

He took exception to Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's charge that the centre was not acting on the state's request to provide relief measures and said he had no time to think about the miseries of the people affected as he was 'dreaming' about becoming Chief Minister on October 3. The centre had released Rs 800 crores so far to the state but the state had only spent Rs 293 crores so far, he pointed out. It was unfortunate that the state government had not furnished any detail with regard to damages in all these districts in the last three days, he regretted.

UNI