Even a month after rain caused extensive damage in Raichur district, relief operations are miserly due to paucity of funds.
On June 23 and 24 the district experienced much loss due to heavy rain. But so far only relief compensation of Rs 50,000 each has been given to the families of the deceased. The district administration has estimated the total loss to be Rs 35 crore.
But the government has released Rs 1 crore for relief work and that money has already been spent on relief work.
Rain loss
As against an average of 135mm rain, this year the district had received 252.9mm rain. Due to heavy rain crops on 2,277.38 hectares were damaged. The loss was estimated at Rs 2.20 crore, informed joint director of agriculture.
In all 12 persons had died due to rain and compensation was distributed to the affected families.
GESCOM had suffered a loss of Rs 51.03 lakh, small irrigation department Rs 77 lakh, PWD Rs 6.19 crore, Zilla Panchayat engineering department Rs 2.09 crore, informed officials.
A total of 220 houses in the district were fully damaged accounting for an estimated cost of Rs 25.52 lakh, 15,965 houses were partially damaged accounting for an estimated loss of Rs 2.14 crore. In all 322 cattle were reported dead adding to a loss of Rs 8.65 lakh.
A disaster management team has been formed under the leadership of Lingasugur assistant commissioner.
Nearly 40 scheduled routes of buses have been cancelled as roads have been washed away.
Farmers who were busy preparing for kharif sowing are now waiting for compensation as what they had sown has been washed away.
All that the government is doing seems to be conducting meetings without any fruitful results. While in opposition the BJP and JD(S) raised a hue and cry over government inaction during rain loss. Now they are in power and are doing precious little.
Questions
Will the visit of a central team to the district soon to assess rain loss make any difference?
Will the CM address this issue during his visit to Nimberadoddi and Chitrale in the district on July 26 and 28 respectively?