State to seek more funds

 Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa will lead a high-level delegation to New Delhi on Monday, seeking more funds from the Prime Minister for flood relief works in the affected districts of North Karnataka.

He will also submit a memorandum to the Centre, detailing the devastation caused by the floods, the funds required and government’s plan of action for rehabilitation, officials said.

The CM will be accompanied by ministers V S Acharya, Shobha Karandlaje and Basavaraj Bommai. Principal Secretary to CM  V P Baligar and top officials of the Revenue department will also be part of the delegation.

The CM has invited all floor leaders in the Legislative Assembly and Council to join him. However, the Congress is yet to decide on its stand. Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council V S Ugrappa said that his party would first like to have a look at the draft memorandum before deciding on joining the delegation. The government has not provided the copy of the memorandum so far, he said.

The Prime Minister, after his recent arial survey of the flood-affected districts, had sanctioned Rs 1,000 crore to the State under National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF). However, the State has estimated the damage due to the floods at Rs 16,000 crore.

Relocation of villages

Yeddyurappa will launch the ambitious programme of relocating 219 villages frequently affected by floods, on Monday. The programme will be inaugurated at Kongavada village of Navalgund taluk in Dharwad district. As many as 385 houses of the dimension 30x50 sq ft will be constructed in a new layout, 1.5 kms from the village.

The project is being taken up jointly by the state government and Shri Kshethra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project.  Schools, Anaganwadi centres, park and places of worship, will also be constructed at the new layout, according to an official press release.