Rain: Centre promises aid to southern states

The Centre on Tuesday assured the southern states, including Karnataka, of providing all help in recovering from the devastation caused by rains and floods during the monsoon. This was conveyed at the Southern Zonal Council meeting chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, here, according to a Home Ministry statement.

The day-long meeting, attended by chief ministers of Karnataka and Puducherry, deputy chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Lieutenant Governor of the Anadaman and Nicober Islands and one minister each from Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and property in the floods caused by monsoon fury in the southern states.

The council reviewed the progress in implementation of the recommendations made at the last meeting.

The riparian states of River Krishna have agreed to the formation of a committee to look into the Krishna river water supply to meet the drinking water needs of Chennai, said R Buhril, Secretary of inter-state council’s Secretariat on Tuesday. The committee will be headed by the chairperson of Krishna River Water Management Board with Engineers-in-chief of water resources and irrigation departments of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu as its members, he said.