Flood relief: BSY seeks more grants from Centre

He also reiterated his demand for waiving off farmers’ loans in the flood-affected districts and double the compensation for crop loss.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone for partial and complete shifting of some of the villages at Tinthini and Kudi villages on Friday, he said, out of the total loss of Rs18,600 crore due to floods, the loss caused to the public property has been estimated at Rs 4,800 crore.

“The states will not get compensation to restore public property from the National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF) and therefore it would be imperative for the Centre to release more grants to Karnataka under centrally-sponsored schemes,” the Chief Minister  said.

Stating that construction of about six lakh houses in north Karnataka was a gigantic task, the CM implored the Centre to join hands in the reconstruction process with the State and the private partners. He urged the Centre to construct two lakh houses for the flood victims under the Indira Awas Yojana.

Out of the Rs 1,000 crore flood relief assistance promised by the Centre, Rs 500 crore has already been released and the prime minister has been urged to release the remaining amount at the earliest.

Out of the total loss of Rs 18,600 crore, the Centre has been asked to release Rs 6,635 crore under the NCCF. Yeddyurappa underlined the need for the Centre to waive agriculture loans availed by the farmers in the flood-affected areas from the commercial and co-operative banks.

“Apart from waiving farm loans, the Centre should also double the compensation for the crop loss suffered by the farmers as the present compensation is inadequate,’’ he said.