BENGALURU: In a span of ten days, Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi twice and, on both occasions, the flood situation in Karnataka was the primary focus of the discussions. On August 6, when Yediyurappa met the PM, incessant rains in Karnataka had started disrupting normal life. On Friday, when he made a petition to the PM seeking central assistance, the total damage due to floods was pegged at a whopping Rs 40,000 crore.
During their 45-minute conversation, the PM assured Yediyurappa of sending a central study team to Karnataka to assess the damage caused due to floods. The state government has appealed for assistance at the earliest. There was, however, no push for declaring the floods in Karnataka as a National Disaster despite the Congress pressing for it.
“Karnataka saw 279% more rain between August 3 and 10, the highest in 118 years, leading to loss of life and property,” Yediyurappa is said to have told the PM, adding that the huge quantum of water released into the Krishna river by Maharashtra stood at up to 6 lakh cusec daily. “Sixty-one deaths have been reported so far and at least 15 are still missing. Around 58,620 houses have been damaged, 4.7 lakh hectares of crops washed away, 18,000 km of roads, 650 bridges, 54,000 electric poles and transformers are severely damaged,” Modi was told.
Even as the opposition has been demanding that Modi visit the flood-affected regions and assess the situation himself, the PM has, as of now, only assured to send a central team to study the losses.
Central assistance is expected to be announced only after the team submits its report. Apart from Union ministers Pralhad Joshi and Suresh Angadi, senior state BJP leaders R Ashoka, Jagadish Shettar and Govind Karjol were part of the meeting. Yediyurappa, who could not meet Union Home Minister and BJP national president Amit Shah the last time he visited New Delhi, is scheduled to meet him on Saturday. Formation of the Karnataka cabinet and portfolios is likely to be discussed.