114 relief centres opened for flood-affected in Karnataka: Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda

Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said on Saturday that the  government had started 114 relief centres in the state, each with a capacity to house 600 to 800 people affected by floods on river banks.  

He was speaking to reporters at Holenarsipur in the district. The minister said, “Karnataka has received 28% excess rainfall, 540 mm against the normal average of 419 mm. Most dams are full, except Linganamakki, Supa and Ghataprabha. Surplus water is being released from the dams to the rivers. We are coordinating with the DCs of all districts. An amount of Rs 777 crore has been released to DCs for relief measures and to give compensation, including Rs 23 crore to Hassan DC. We are giving Rs 25 lakh to each taluk”. 

Krishna said, “Some deaths have happened due to the negligence on the part of the victims as they went to catch fish or swim in overflowing rivers. People should avoid this and be cautious. People should avoid living in dilapidated houses during heavy rains and contact officials for alternative
shelter”. 

He said, “So far 600 houses are severely damaged due to rains in the state. For those who have lost houses, besides giving a compensation of Rs 1.2 lakh, we will provide a new house each”. 

The minister said some districts including Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru Rural and Vijayanagar have received deficit rainfall over the past 15 to 20 days. 

As surplus water has been released from Hemavathi and KRS reservoirs into the Cauvery river, the minister visited a few places prone to floods on the banks of the rivers, including Yasin Nagar in Holenarsipur taluk of Hassan district, Mandagere of KR Pet taluk (Mandya district) and Wellesley bridge which is submerged in Srirangaptna town (Mandya district).