BENGALURU: With Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa in isolation at a private hospital in Bengaluru, Revenue Minister R Ashoka and Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai are taking the lead in handling the floods in Karnataka.
Ashoka, who cut short his home quarantine after testing negative for Covid-19 on Thursday, called for an emergency meeting of Home, Revenue and Disaster Management departments to review preparedness, relief requirements and assistance for flood-hit regions across the State.
Heavy rain, coupled with increased water release from dams in Maharashtra, have led to severe flooding and landslides in at least 10 districts in Karnataka. Heavy rain is expected to continue to wreak havoc for the next few days as well.
“Landslides were reported from Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru. V Somanna will visit Kodagu immediately and CT Ravi will rush to Chikkamagaluru tomorrow. I will also tour the affected districts for two days. The Chief Minister is monitoring the situation closely and has asked us to coordinate rescue and relief efforts,” said Ashoka.
Yediyurappa on Thursday asked officials to compensate people affected by rain. At a meeting where ministers CT Ravi, Bommai, Somanna and Ashoka were present, it was decided to press more teams of civil defence, disaster management and fire and emergency service in the affected districts. Daily review will take place via phone calls and video conferences.
“The Malnad region was supposed to get 107 mm rain but received 277 mm rain, and coastal Karnataka witnessed 342 mm rain instead of the predicted 200 mm, and has resulted in massive damage and landslides,” Ashoka said. He added that Belagavi, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Hassan, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Dharwad, Kodagu, Mysuru and Uttara Kannada will continue to witness more heavy rain. “So far, four people have gone missing and five animals were left dead. The government has set up 12 relief camps across the State so far,” Ashoka said.
Rs 5 lakh aid for those who lost houses, says CM
After incessant rain caused major damage, including landslides and flooding in several parts of Karnataka, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursday directed officials to provide compensation to those affected. Yediyurappa, who is currently being monitored at a private hospital after testing positive for Covid-19, interacted with officials to assess the damage. A day after he directed officials to release Rs 50 crore as emergency assistance, Yediyurappa asked district commissioners to provide compensation of Rs 10,000 as assistance to families affected by rain and Rs 5 lakh to those with completely damaged houses. Officials have been directed to assess the extent of the damage and pay compensation.