Karnataka to write to Centre seeking funds for flood-hit districts

Heavy showers having left a trail of destruction in North Karnataka, with crops across thousands of hectares being destroyed, besides extensive damage to infrastructure, the state government has decided to seek funds from the Centre for the flood-hit districts.

Sources said that the government was likely to write a letter to the Centre after the conclusion of the second survey. “Once we have evaluated the extent of damage to crops and other infrastructure, we will submit a request for funds to the Centre,” a source said.

Unrelenting rain throughout the month of September, coupled with the release of water from reservoirs in Maharashtra left crops across 7.24 lakh hectares in the Bhima River basin districts of Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Bidar and Vijayapura districts. Although a joint survey to assess the extent of damage was undertaken in the affected districts, incessant rains towards the end of September prompted the government to order another survey.

The state government now estimates that crops across 12.54 lakh hectares have been damaged. In accordance with the guidelines of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), a letter will be drafted and sent to the central government seeking funds for relief operations in the third week of October. Meanwhile, there are concerns of the issue turning into a political slugfest between the state and central governments.  

In 2023, when 216 taluks were declared drought-hit, Karnataka sought Rs 18,171 crore from the Centre to address problems in the affected areas. But delay in the disbursal of funds prompted the state to send a delegation to the Centre but to no avail. Subsequently, the state government filed a petition in the Supreme Court.