National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team carries out rescue and relief operations at a flood-affected area in Karnataka’s Belagavi on Saturday.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team carries out rescue and relief operations at a flood-affected area in Karnataka’s Belagavi on Saturday.

CM Bommai visits flood-hit Uttara Kannada

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Bengaluru: Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday visited the flood-affected areas in Uttara Kannada district in coastal Karnataka and took stock of the situation

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team carries out rescue and relief operations at a flood-affected area in Karnataka’s Belagavi on Saturday.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team carries out rescue and relief operations at a flood-affected area in Karnataka’s Belagavi on Saturday.

Bengaluru: Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday visited the flood-affected areas in Uttara Kannada district in coastal Karnataka and took stock of the situation. He also visited Yellapur and Karwar-Ankola assembly constituencies during the visit.

“I have visited Yellapura, Sirsi, Ankola and other parts of the Uttara Kannada. Here, landslides have been reported in several places, homes have been destroyed and six people have died. The roads have been damaged and a major bridge, connecting Yellapura and Sirsi, has been destroyed completely,” said Bommai after his visit.

He said that the government is looking for permanent solutions to the problem with the help of experts. “The Western Ghats is a sensitive zone. The soil here is prone to landslides. We had noticed this while developing the Konkan railway. So, we are getting opinions from geologists and other experts to find a solution to the problem,” he said.

According to the chief minister, providing compensation to those who lost their homes is the priority for the government. “As of now, we will take all the major repairs such as building roads and bridges,” he added.

The government has also asked concerned departments to conduct a survey on crop loss. “I have informed the DCs (Deputy Commissioners) to release the compensation at the earliest. The required funds are already available with the DCs,” said Bommai.

So far, 10 people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents and two were reported missing in Karnataka. Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Dharwad and Haveri bore the brunt of the heavy downpour among the 11 affected districts, officials said.

Karnataka State Natural Disaster Management Authority Commissioner said 46,425 people have been evacuated to safety while over 31,000 people have been put up in 246 relief camps.

“We are coordinating with SDRF, NDRF, fire department and dam authorities along with district administration,” Rajan (Full name/ designation) said.

Over the week, the Opposition had lashed out on the BJP for ignoring the people affected by the floods amidst the change of the guard. Eshwar Khandre, working president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Tuesday had said that the state doesn’t have a government when it is going through a severe calamity. “When people have lost their livelihoods, the legislators of the BJP are fighting within for power. The BJP has failed the people,” he had said.

Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah, also lashed out at the BJP, alleging that the Centre has failed to come to the aid of the state during the floods. “The state government has also not released funds to aid the flood-affected people. It should cut down on other unwanted expenses and mobilise funds to manage the flood situation and provide relief to the affected. Managing the flood situation should be the first priority of the government,” he added.

Bommai, however, defended the government saying the union government has released 629 crore for flood relief. In the press conference after taking, oath he said, “We have made arrangement to provide relief to those affected by the floods.” he said, adding that he will visit the flood-affected areas.


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