Flood situation assessment

Udupi: Home Minister Dr V S Acharya on Sunday said he had instructed the district administration to submit a complete report to the government on the damage due to rains and floods so that maximum funds could be released from both the state and the centre under calamity funds. Addressing a press meet after meeting officials on the damage caused by the rains since Jul 6, Acharya, also district in charge minister of Udupi, said both Udupi and Dakshina Kannada district are the worst affected by the recent rains. Udupi district, the highest rain fed area in Karnataka, had received 1250 mm rain in July after a 39 year gap,with the total damage at over Rs 30 crore. The district had received 200 mm rain in a single day, he said. He said the government had released Rs five crore each for immediate relief works to six worst affected districts, including Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, Rs two crore each to five districts and Rs one crore each to remaining 18 districts, totalling Rs 58 crore. He also visited the severe sea eroded area at Ermal Bada in Udupi district earlier in the absence of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa who cancelled his visit after the aircraft returned due to bad weather condition. Acharya said that the Chief Minister, soon after reaching Bangalore, had instructed him to hold meetings in Udupi and Mangalore and send an interim report by evening today about the damages in the two districts. Based on his report, the Chief Minister would decide on the quantum of additional funds to be released after discussing it at the cabinet sub-committee meeting. He said the administration had also proposed to submit a proposal to the government for immediately releasing Rs 2.06 crore for emergency sea wall protection work in the district, where 1534 metre road and land had been severely damaged at several critical points. Acharya said the government would soon write to the Prime Minister, requesting that two permanent units of the national disaster response force be set up -- one in Udupi and another in Belgaum -- to handle natural disasters. He said the state government had received Rs 12 crore in the last three years under the calamity relief fund, of which Rs 10 crore had already been paid and Rs 52 lakh had been left over. He said he had instructed the district administration to take up all relief measures soon with the release of Rs five crore yesterday by the government. Dr Acharya said the state government would also recommend to the Centre to enhance compensation for crop loss and house damage from National Calamity Relief Fund. (ZeeNews)
Rs 5.48 crore for flood relief: Acharya