Madikeri/Mysuru: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai began his two-day, four-district tour this morning to assess the flood damage and provide relief measures.
He arrived at the Mysore Airport on a special flight this morning and travelled by road to Madikeri via Kushalnagar. Accompanied by Revenue Minister R. Ashoka, Energy Minister V. Sunil Kumar and Kodagu District Minister B.C. Nagesh, the CM held a high-level meeting with district officials at the DC Office.
MP Pratap Simha, MLAs M.P. Appachu Ranjan and K.G. Bopaiah and MLC Suja Kushalappa, Deputy Commissioner Dr. B.C. Satish were also part of the meeting that was in progress when we went to press.
Earlier, the CM visited the flood-hit Manjunathanagar in Madikeri and inspected a house that collapsed. The CM released a cheque for Rs. 95,000 to Gopal, the owner of the house.
After the meeting, the CM is expected to interact with the people who have been provided food and shelter at Koynadu Ganapathi Temple Hall. He is also expected to visit Chembu village in Madikeri Taluk where a couple of quakes have been reported. The CM will later proceed towards Mangaluru and will visit Udupi and Karwar tomorrow.
‘State prepared to tackle floods’
Earlier, speaking to reporters at the Mysore Airport, Bommai said that the entire Government machinery is on the job of tackling floods and other natural disasters caused by torrential rains. He maintained that rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations in areas affected by natural calamities are on in full swing.
“The survey to assess loss of lives, livestock, livelihood and damages caused by floods, landslides, landslips, tremors, earthquakes, sea erosion etc., is almost complete. There is no dearth of funds under NDRM (National Disaster Response Management),” he claimed.
The Government has sought the help of experts to find permanent solutions for the problems faced by people living along river beds and catchment areas. Efforts are on to shift people living in low-lying areas and other dangerous zones to safer places.
Commenting on the flood situation in Kodagu, Bommai said that he came to know that people living in danger zones were hesitant to relocate to safer places. As such, the district administration has been instructed to convince them to move to safer locations as a permanent solution.
Boards and Corporations
When asked about reports that Heads of several Boards and Corporations would be changed, Bommai said that the BJP Core Committee has decided to replace Chairmen of Boards and Corporations who have completed 18 months in office. Accordingly, the list is being prepared, he said while refusing to divulge more.
Mysuru District Minister S.T. Somashekar, Energy Minister V. Sunil Kumar, MP Pratap Simha, MLAs L. Nagendra, S.A. Ramdas and G.T. Devegowda, MUDA Chairman H.V. Rajeev, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Bagadi Gautham and other officials were present at the airport.
This post was published on July 12, 2022 6:44 pm