HDK to take stock of situation in rain-hit Malnad

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said he would camp in the rain battered Malnad region of the state and take stock of the infrastructure needs there.

"I will camp in Malnad and look into the problems faced by people owing to the rains and the infrastructure needs of the region," he said in the Assembly. He said that he would show the commitment of the state government to development.

The Chief Minister was responding to an issue raised by Tirthahalli MLA Araga Jnanendra during zero hour.

The MLA referred to a young girl being washed away in a rivulet in his constituency after she slipped and fell into it while crossing a footbridge. He said it was a 'kuchcha' bridge without retaining walls, one of several such in Malnad and that such incidents kept recurring.

Several other MLAs from the region concurred with his view and requested the government to take suitable steps.

To this, Kumaraswamy said he was aware of the incidents and that the government was not taking them lightly. He said Rs one lakh has been given as compensation under the Education Department fund There was also a plan to give compensation under the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, he said and added that he had instructed officials to set right such bridges in the region.

Malnad has been witnessing unrelenting rains for the past few days and most rivulets and streams in the region are in spate.