BENGALURU: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday held a video conference with the Deputy Commissioners, Zilla Panchayat CEOs and top officials of various departments to take stock of the situation after the recent rain fury across the state. He instructed that the district in-charge secretaries, DCs, Assistant Commissioners and Agriculture Officers must visit the rain-affected areas in the next two-three days and submit a report to Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar in 72 hours.
He told them that officials of the revenue, RDPR and minor irrigation departments should clear files related to flood relief without any delay and the compensation should be released immediately according to State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) guidelines for houses damaged due to heavy rains. “No officials should give the ‘nale banni’ excuse. Crop loss survey reports should be diligently submitted without any delay,” he stressed.
To ensure that emergency work is not hampered, no leaves should be granted for officers for the next 15 days and said that Panchayat Development Officers should remain in their places and inspect works.
“Officials of the agriculture, horticulture and revenue departments should conduct joint surveys of crop losses and damage to houses.
Care centres should be opened for flood-affected people with facilities for health check-ups,” he said and added that Rs 728 crore is available with the DCs to be utilised wherever necessary. Services of the PWD and Panchayat Raj engineers for survey works should be used. As a precautionary measure, residents living in low-lying areas should be informed well in advance if excess water is released from any reservoirs.
The government has announced that precautionary measures should be taken in Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts where there are chances of landslides.
Bommai has issued instructions to raise two additional companies of SDRF.