Karnataka apprises Centre of flood losses, seeks aid
New Delhi, Aug 30 : Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Thursday apprised Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh of the losses due to floods in parts of the state and sought central financial assistance of Rs 1,118 crore.
Kumaraswamy said that the southern state had suffered losses totalling Rs 3,425 crore on account of damaged crops and infrastructure, and cattle deaths.
"We have submitted a memorandum to the Home Minister on the losses," Kumaraswamy told reporters here.
Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara said that a final memorandum will be submitted to the Centre after a comprehensive assessment of the losses.
Karnataka has sought financial assistance of Rs 1,118 crore from the central government as per the norms of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
Its memorandum said that crops on about 23,123 hectares of land were damaged, leading to estimated losses of Rs 313.52 crore. Damage to infrastructure accounted for Rs 1,746 crore loss.
The production of coffee in Karnataka will fall by 20 per cent this year due to floods, which will cause a further loss of Rs 100 crore, it said.
Coastal and other districts of Karnataka had received heavy rains around mid-August, following which a flood alert was sounded in the southern state. The affected districts included coastal Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, and south interior districts of Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and Shivamogga.
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Gurupura: Bus-lorry collide near Bellibettu, drivers critically injured
6 Lakh in cash recovered during rescue operation
Bajpe: A private bus and a lorry collided head-on near Bellibettu bus stand on Wednesday, leaving both drivers seriously injured.
According to sources, the private bus was travelling from Mangaluru to Karkala and a lorry was heading towards Mangaluru.
The impact of the collision was severe, leaving the front portions of both the bus and the lorry completely crushed.
According to locals, the drivers of both vehicles were trapped inside the mangled vehicles and had to be rescued by cutting parts of the damaged vehicles using a gas cutter. Passengers travelling in the bus sustained minor injuries.
The injured drivers were shifted to a private hospital in the city for treatment. Personnel from the Bajpe police station visited the spot, conducted an inspection, and registered a case.
Meanwhile, it has been learnt that during the rescue operation, a local resident, Rafiq Gurupura, found around Rs 6 lakh in cash while cutting open parts of the bus.
The amount was subsequently handed over to the Bajpe police. The rescue operation was carried out by locals including Rafiq, Shivarama, Raoof, Fazil and others.
