MLAs yet to return

 However, a majority of the legislators, including those representing flood-affected taluks of North Karnataka, are yet to reach their constituencies.

After having camped in a star hotel in Hyderabad for the last 12 days awaiting the outcome of the political powerplay, these legislators were in Bangalore on Monday.

The legislators celebrated their “victory” at the hotel premises on Sunday, following the central leadership endorsing a compromise formula to buy peace between the two warring factions. However, unmindful of the criticism from the people of their constituencies for staying away from flood relief and rehabilitation work, they trudged along with their leader Janaradhana Reddy to the State capital.

Shirahatti MLA Ramanna Lamani chose to spend his time in Hyderabad, rather than attend to constituency work in his constituency, where 8,000 houses have been damaged in the October floods.
However, Lamani maintained that he was in constant touch with the people of his constituency. “Compensation has been paid to those who have lost their dwellings in the floods, there have been no complaints,” he said.

Further, Janaradhana Reddy has taken the initiative to construct 5,000 new houses in his constituency, he added.

The recent floods damaged more than 23,000 houses in Siruguppa taluk of Bellary. Somalingappa, who represents these flood-affected people of this taluk, was in Shiradi on Monday. He plans to be return to his constituency on Tuesday, after an absence of 11 days.

Absence of MLAs in the constituencies may not affect the flood relief works totally. But the affected people expect their presence as their intervention may speed up the relief works.

A senior officer of Raichur district said the officialdom would continue to do the assigned job, no matter whether MLA was present or absent. But people expect that the person they elected should be available for consultation, if some sort of injustice is done at the time of issuing relief cheques. “They enjoy more liberty while communicating with elected representatives rather than officers,” he said.

However, Somalingappa, takes solace in statistics. “All the affected people have been paid compensation. It is 100 per cent complete,” he said and added: “This time was the only exception. I am always in my constituency. I even return to my constituency the same day after attending committee meetings in Bangalore.”

Hadagalli MLA Chandra Naik, another absentee legislator,  brushed aside charges that development work in his constituencies had been neglected. “We spoke  to officials on a day-to-day basis and kept track of various on-going projects. In age of mobile technology, one need not be stationed in one particular place,” he said.