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Karnataka
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Bangalore
Centre promises help to State to tackle floods
Staff Reporter
| Kumaraswamy speaks to Manmohan Singh and Shivraj Patil |
‘Prime Minister has asked me to send a proposal’
Relief may be hiked to Rs. 1 lakh in case of loss of life
BANGALORE: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil have promised that the Centre will extend “complete support” to the State to tackle the flood situation.
He was speaking to presspersons here on Monday after holding a review meeting with top officials.
Minister for Revenue Jagadish Shettar and Minister for Health and Family Welfare R. Ashok participated in the meeting.
The Chief Minister said that he had telephoned Dr. Singh and Mr. Patil on Sunday night and got “encouraging responses” from them. Dr. Singh had asked him to send a proposal on the State’s requirement.
To respond immediately
He had also promised that the Centre would immediately respond to the State’s efforts to tackle the floods and implement relief works, Mr. Kumaraswamy said.
He said the heavy rain claimed 43 lives and 250 livestock in Bijapur, Raichur, Gulbaraga and Dakshina Kannada districts in the past 48 hours.
The extent of damage caused to houses, roads and bridges was yet to be ascertained, he said.
Officials had been instructed to provide adequate relief to the flood affected people. The Government had set up 11 relief centres covering Bagalkot, Bijapur and Raichur districts, he said.
Fund inadequate
Replying to questions, he said that as the Central Relief Fund was not sufficient to implement relief measures effectively, the State was thinking of increasing the existing relief of Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh in case of loss of life and a proportionate increase in case of loss of livestock and house collapse.
Information centres
In Bangalore, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had set up round-the-clock information centres for obtaining update information about rain havoc, including waterlogging and traffic disruption, and addressing them effectively in coordination with the agencies concerned in all its eight zones.
The Government had released Rs. 18 crore to the BBMP to take up works to prevent rain-related eventualities, Mr. Kumaraswamy said.
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