Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy writes to PM Narendra Modi, seeks interim relief of Rs 2,000 crore

Gandhinagar: Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has written a letter to Prime Minister seeking an interim relief of Rs 2000 crore for relief and rehabilitation work in the flood-hit areas of the state.

In his letter, Kumaraswamy stated that the damages caused by the recent floods to the infrastructure, public property and crops were estimated to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore as the final assessment of losses was not done yet. 

The JDS leader claimed that there was a large scale destruction of agricultural crops. Coffee, spice, aracanut and other plantations estates were completely damaged by the landslides and mudslides.

Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy has written a letter to PM Narendra Modi, in which he has appealed to him to release a sum of Rs 2000 crores for interim relief to begin the rehabilitation process of the flood-affected areas. #KarnatakaFloods pic.twitter.com/WIpA04MYE7 — ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2018

In order to rebuild Kodagu – the most hit by floods – the Chief Minister said an interim relief of Rs 2000 crore was needed for the state government to start the relief and rehabilitation work.

The Karnataka Chief Minister's appeal to the Centre came hours after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited the flood-hit areas in Kodagu district of Karnataka.

She also interacted with children, youth and their families sheltered in Kodagu in the wake of recent torrential rains that lashed the district, bordering Kerala, claiming at least 17 lives and leaving a trail of destruction.
Sitharaman assured to take up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other central ministers concerned about the restoration work of roads, telecommunication network and other infrastructure, badly affected by the heavy rains that triggered landslides and floods in the district.

A Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, she is the second Union minister to visit the flood-ravaged district, after D V Sadananada Gowda, who hails from the state.

More than 5,000 people have been rendered homeless in Kodagu district where rescue and relief operations are underway in full swing.

District in-charge Minister Sa Ra Mahesh and local MP Pratap Simha, officials of the district administration, government departments and Defence personnel attended the review meeting.

Officials informed that the district received excess rainfall of 150 percent than the normal quantum.

Talking to reporters, Sitharaman said the Centre's relief and rehabilitation package would be announced after assessment by a team of officials and the state's government estimate of losses.

She declined to make any guess on how much relief package was expected from the Center.

"It would not be wise on my part to second guess what Centre can give and what it cannot ...But once the team comes and makes an assessment into which all your (state) inputs will also be taken, and with your inputs, the central assessment team can come up with a figure," she added.

The Minister later announced a Rs 1 crore aid from her MPs constituency development funds and Rs 7 crore from Corporate Social Responsibility funds of Defence PSUs for flood and landslide relief work, her office said in a tweet.