Karnataka to seek special grants from Centre for rain havoc in Bengaluru: CM Bommai
Bengaluru, Sep 7: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said his government will seek special grants from the Union government as compensation for the damages caused in rain-battered Bengaluru.
He held a meeting with the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) headed by Home Ministry's joint secretary Ashish Kumar, which is visiting Karnataka to take stock of the flood havoc in the State.
We have shared details on damages caused during three stages of rainfall - July, August and the first week of September, Bommai said.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said another meeting would be held with the IMCT after it visits various districts, including parts of Bengaluru.
"IMCT will be given a final memorandum then, which will be an updated version of the one we had submitted last week, he added.
Revenue Minister R Ashoka last week said the government has estimated rain related losses since June to the tune of Rs 7,647.13 crore, and will be sending a proposal to the Centre seeking a relief of Rs 1,012.5 crore as per National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms.
Bommai said the new memorandum would highlight problems that Bengaluru faced due to overflowing lakes and flooding in low-lying areas.
We will ask for a special grant. River-based floods happen for 2-3 days and then recede, but this has become a daily occurrence, which must be considered as a special case, he said, noting that he asked the IMCT to visit Mahadevapura, one of the worst rain-hit areas in the city.
Further highlighting the state's need for special grants to compensate fisherfolk who lost their boats, which is not covered under the NDRF guidelines, the CM said, "we will also seek compensation to shops and commercial establishments that have suffered due to floods as they are presently not covered under NDRF.
Also, losses caused due to landslides also deserve a special grant, he said.
The IMCT is scheduled to visit Chitradurga, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Haveri, Dharwad, Gadag, Bidar and Kalaburagi districts.
Bommai said he suggested that they also visit Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada districts that were worst affected due to rains, landslides and sea erosion, and also to take stock of the flood situation in Mandya and Ramanagara districts.
He also told them that Karnataka has a coastal area of 330 km and works worth Rs 350 crore have been taken up to prevent sea erosion, and central assistance was required as erosion has taken place in new spots.
The CM also explained that Rs 500 crore was released twice to take up restoration of damaged infrastructure, and another Rs 600 crore was released earlier this week.
The state is giving an additional input subsidy for crop loss and Rs 2,452 crore has been disbursed among 18.58 lakh farmers. Out of this, Rs 1,160 crore has been borne from the state exchequer, he added.
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Nine Naxalites carrying cumulative bounty of Rs 43 lakh surrender in Chhattisgarh
Sukma, Jan 11: Nine hardcore Naxalites, allegedly involved in attacks on security forces and carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 43 lakh, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Saturday, police said.
The cadres, including two women, turned themselves in before senior officials from the police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) here, citing disappointment with "hollow" and "inhuman" Maoist ideology and infighting within the outlawed outfit, Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan said.
He said the surrendered Naxalites were also impressed by the state government's 'Niyad Nellanar' (your good village) scheme, which aims at facilitating development works in remote villages and stated that senior cadres were on backfoot with the increasing pressure of security forces and setting up of police camps in interior areas.
The official said Ransai alias Oyam Buska (34), the commander of platoon no 24 of Maoists, and Pradip alias Ravva Rakesh (20), a member under a company wing of PLGA battalion no. 1, were carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh each.
He said four other cadres carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh, a woman Naxalite carried a reward of Rs 3 lakh, and two others, including a woman, carried a bounty of Rs 2 lakh each.
Chavan said Ransai was allegedly involved in attacks, including the Jhara Ghati ambush in Narayanpur district in 2007, wherein seven policemen were killed; the 2007 Ranibodli (Bijapur district) attack, in which 55 security personnel died; the 2017 ambush in Burkapal (Sukma), where 25 CRPF personnel were killed and the 2020 Minpa ambush (Sukma) that killed 17 security personnel.
The other surrendered cadres were also involved in multiple attacks on security forces, he said.
Personnel from Konta police station, District Reserve Guard (DRG), Intelligence Branch Team and 2nd and 223rd battalions played a crucial role in their surrender, he said.
The official said the surrendered Naxalites were provided Rs 25,000 each and will be further rehabilitated as per the government's policy.
Last year, 792 Naxalites had surrendered in the Bastar region, comprising seven districts, including Sukma.
