N. Dharam Singh

BANGALORE: Leader of the Opposition in the legislative Assembly N. Dharam Singh said on Thursday that the State Government should take up relief work in the flood-hit districts of north Karnataka utilising the Central assistance of Rs. 250 crore at the earliest.

Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Dharam Singh said this fund should not be utilised in the manner in which the Government had spent Rs. 132 crore on the rural employment guarantee scheme and Rs. 88 crore on rural drinking water scheme sanctioned by the Centre.

Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa should direct the Chief Secretary and principal secretaries to take up relief work without any delay.

Meagre utilisation

The Government had utilised only Rs. 30 crore of the Rs. 132 crore released by the Centre to implement the rural employment guarantee scheme in Gulbarga, Bidar, Dharwad, Raichur and Chitradurga districts, he said.

Similarly, the Government had spent only Rs. 44 crore of the Rs. 88 crore released by the Centre to implement the rural drinking water programme in the backward districts, he said.

Last year, Gulbarga, Bijapur, Belgaum, Raichur and Bagalkot districts incurred a loss of Rs. 763 crore owing to floods. The Centre had released Rs. 342.91 crore for relief work, but the Government had spent only Rs. 315 crore, he said.

Mr. Dharam Singh said that it was the duty of the Government to utilise funds and submit utilisation certificate to the Centre and get more funds for the implementation of the rural employment guarantee scheme.

`No interest'

The manner in which the Government had been spending funds showed that it had no interest in the welfare of the people affected by floods and drought, the former Chief Minister alleged.

He accused Mr. Kumaraswamy and Mr. Yediyurappa of not holding review meetings methodically.

On the new industrial policy, he expressed his dismay over the absence of a programme to rejuvenate 40,000 sick units.

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