Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

To draw more attention towards the gravity of Karnataka floods, Congress party in the state staged a protest on Tuesday in Belgaum. The main demand of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress committee included the declaration of Karnataka flood as a ‘national calamity‘.

The party also demanded to increase the relief works undertaken to handle the situation.  Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president Dinesh Gundu Rao led the protest along with the former president SS Patil and working president Eshwar Khandre.

Dinesh Gundu Rao wrote a letter to state governor Vajubhai Vala stating the party’s demands. In the letter, the KPCC leader highlighted the hardships and struggles of people due to the floods. He urged the governor to ensure immediate relief measures to the affected citizens.

The letter read:

More than 88 persons have lost their lives, still 10 persons are missing; more than 7 lakh people have been rendered houseless; 1465 rehabilitation centers are sheltering about 4.6 lakh homeless people; agriculture and horticulture crops standing in 7.90 lakh hectare have been completely destroyed; 2.37 lakh houses are damaged; 1.70 lakh houses are completely collapsed; total crop loss in 7.28 lakh hectare; landslide has resulted in complete loss of cultivable land in 5000 hectares; 35,000 km of road is damaged; 2828 bridges and culverts are damaged and collapsed; 57,000 electric poles are uprooted; 14,076 power transformers are damaged; 3724 power lines damaged; thousands of coffee estates have been destroyed.

Consequently, the relief works are inadequate, stand still and lakhs of people are suffering a shortage of food, clothing, medicine, drinking water, fooder for cattle, etc. No steps have been taken to re-open schools in flood-affected areas. Textbooks, uniforms have not been provided to students. No steps have been taken by the government of Karnataka to construct houses, so far, the government has given only Rs 10,000 per family in certain cases. NGOs and political parties have contributed to some extent.”

The leader also said that despite the aerial survey conducted by Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa and several Union Ministers, no special grants have been devolved to the state.

Previously also, Karnataka Congress leaders had met Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala to ask for the release of Rs. 5000 crore as an interim relief from Centre to tackle the flood situation.

The situation in some areas is so severe that even now, daily life has not been restored. In this regard, Belgavi (North Karnataka) district was hit by a damaging flood and the area is yet to recover from the damages wrecked by the natural disaster. Due to this, the winter session of the Karnataka assembly will be now held from October 14 to October 26 at Vidhan Soudha in Bengaluru.

Karnataka Flood-

Karnataka floods have devastated the state and caused a huge loss to the life and property in the state. Shivamogga district is said to be one of the worst-affected areas in the state. Lakhs of hectares of standing crops have been damaged in the state due to nature’s fury. Over 55,000 houses have been reported to be damaged. Loss of over Rs. 50,000 crores has been estimated.

ALSO READ: BS Yeddyurappa meets PM Modi, asks for release of funds for flood-ravaged Karnataka

By Saurabh Parmar

Digital Journalist (Specializing in Indian affairs & Contemporary Political development)

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