MYSURU: With the state government declaring 98 taluks as drought-hit, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said a memorandum will be submitted to the Union government seeking central funds to carry out relief measures.
The state government may declare more taluks as drought-affected after studying the situation till August-end and submit a detail report to the Centre, Siddaramaiah told reporters here. The demand for central funds will be based on this report, he added.
The CM also expressed displeasure over the delay in getting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appointment to take an all-party delegation from the state to discuss the Mahadayi-Malaprabha river-linking project, Kalasa-Banduri canal diversion project and problems faced by sugarcane growers and sericulturists.
Siddaramaiah said he wrote a letter to the Centre on July 25 seeking an appointment with Modi.
The CM further said he spoke to Union ministers from the state — D V Sadananda Gowda and H N Ananth Kumar — to fix an appointment at the earliest.
‘Hopeful of Rains’
Clarifying that he will not take up the Cauvery issue with Modi, Siddaramaiah said he was hopeful of the state receiving rains as the monsoon was not over yet.
Asked about the government’s decision to scale down Dasara celebrations this year and its impact on the tourism sector, Siddaramaiah said the government is only thinking of reducing the expenses and not of stopping the Dasara festivities.
Meanwhile, traffic in Hubballi city was brought to a grinding halt on Wednesday by protesters seeking a solution to the stalled Kalasa-Banduri drinking water project.
Among the protesters were JD(S) members who took out a march from Hubballi to Dharwad.