Bengaluru: An Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) will visit different parts of Karnataka to assess the damage and extent of loss caused by the floods this year. The six-member IMCT, which will be split into three teams, will visit parts of northern and coastal Karnataka.
Chief Minister, B S Yediyurappa met team members on Sunday ahead of their field visit. "I heartily welcome Inter-Ministerial Central Team led by Shri. Ramesh Kumar Ganta, who have all been deputed to Karnataka to make first hand assessment of damages and loss caused due to floods," he said. He said £57.78 million had been released from the NDRF for flood relief.
This is the second Inter-Ministerial Central Team to visit Karnataka. Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had earlier reviewed the flood situation twice through video conference and had assured the state of support. The southern state had experienced major flooding in August - and experienced heavy rains again in the months of September and October. This was accompanied by very high discharges from reservoirs in Maharashtra to downstream Karnataka and this was probably the first time the state faced floods in Krishna and Bhima basins in a single year.
The chief minister's office said that floods and landslides have damaged crops in more than 16,00,000 hectares; around 34,794 houses had been damaged, apart from extensive damage to critical infrastructure. The government has estimated the total damage at £1.54 billion. "In view of the estimated huge loss of £1.54 billion, I urge the IMCT to recommend release of central assistance to enable us to provide relief to the affected people and to take up repair of damaged infrastructure," Yediyurappa was quoted as saying.
To provide immediate relief the state government disbursed input subsidy of £55.11 million to 712,000 farmers. Pound 132.04 million was committed for flood relief, repair and reconstruction.
The state government is providing Rs 500,000 for completely damaged houses, Rs 300,000 for severely damaged houses and Rs 50,000 for partially damaged houses. The state will incur an expenditure of £46.5 million towards housing assistance. The Central team will be travelling to flood affected areas in Kalaburagi, Vijayapura and Udupi districts, official sources said.
