BENGALURU: HK Patil, chairman of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on flood relief for the Mumbai-Karnataka region, urged the state government to constitute a ‘Rehabilitation Authority’ to construct and rebuild villages that have been damaged in the floods.
The committee has conducted a survey and submitted its report with recommendations. According to the report, over 20 lakh acres of land, including non-agricultural land, has been damaged in the Mumbai-Karnataka region, mainly Belagavi, Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Gadag, Haveri, Dharwad and Uttara Kannada. As many as one lakh acres of agricultural land has been completely damaged.
This apart, two lakh houses are damaged and more than 3,000 villages are inundated. There is a need to rebuild at least 1,000 of them. The report also highlights that around 100 people have died. A lot of equipment and buildings have also been damaged, apart from infrastructure facilities.
The committee demanded that the state announce a national calamity, and urge the Centre to release funds. As there are many facilities that need to be rebuilt, a dedicated authority has be formed that will look only into rehabilitation, it recommended. This apart, a nodal officer has to be appointed for each affected district.
Patil also said that two Union ministers, including Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, visited flood- affected areas, but they have not released any funds yet. Their visit was just for namesake, he said. “With the vast damage in these areas, Prime Minister Modi should have visited the affected areas. In 2009, when there was flooding in North Karnataka, the then-PM Manmohan Singh had made a visit to assess the situation,’’ Patil said.
He also urged the state government to provide job opportunities for at least the next four months, to families affected by the floods. This apart, he also urged that students be helped in getting their marks cards and other documents.