Loss due to floods in Karnataka estimated at Rs 15,410 cr: CM Yediyurappa
Bengaluru, Dec 13: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Sunday said the state has estimated the loss due to recent floods at Rs 15,410 crore, as he requested the Centre for assistance to take up relief work and repair of damaged infrastructure.
He made the plea during a discussion with the Inter- Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), led by Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary Ramesh Kumar Ganta, that has been deputed to Karnataka to make a first hand assessment of damage and loss caused by the floods in three spells since August.
"In view of the estimated huge loss of Rs 15,410 Crores, I urge the IMCT to recommend release of central assistance to enable us to provide relief to the affected people and to take up repair of damaged infrastructure," Yediyurappa was quoted as saying by his office in a release.
He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for personally reviewing the flood situation twice through video-conference and Home Minister Amit Shah for having released Rs 577.84 crore from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) for flood relief and also for deputing a second IMCT to the state.
After the August floods, the state experienced two more spells of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall events during the second fortnight of September and mid October.
This was accompanied by very high discharges from reservoirs in Maharashtra to downstream Karnataka and this was probably the first time the state faced floods in Krishna and Bhima basins in a single year.
Yediyurappa said the flood/landslides have damaged 34,794 houses, crops in more than 16 lakh hectare apart from extensive damage to critical infrastructure, totally estimated at Rs 15,410 crore.
To provide immediate relief the state government has disbursed input subsidy of Rs 551.14 crore to 7.12 lakh farmers, he said.
Despite severe financial constraints, Rs 1,320.48 crore has been committed for flood relief, repair and reconstruction, he said, listing the assistance given for various affected categories.
The IMCT over the next two days will be travelling to flood affected areas in Kalaburagi, Vijayapura and Udupi districts, official sources said.
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West Asia war: Vessel carrying 20,000 tonnes of LPG reaches Gujarat crossing Strait of Hormuz
Kandla (Gujarat) (PTI): A vessel carrying 20,000 metric tonnes of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) arrived at Deendayal Port Authority in Kandla in Gujarat after crossing the Strait of Hormuz amid the West Asia crisis, officials said on Sunday.
The Marshall Islands-flagged MV SYMI started its journey from Qatar and docked at the port in Kandla around 11.30 pm on Saturday after crossing the Strait of Hormuz on May 13, they added.
Since early March, 13 India-flagged vessels, comprising 12 LPG tankers and one crude oil tanker, have crossed the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway close to the coast of Oman through which roughly one-fifth of the world's energy supplies pass.
It has been severely disrupted by the conflict in West Asia that started on February 28, with the US and Israel launching joint attacks on Iran, triggering retaliatory strikes. It has resulted in one of the worst energy crisis the world has seen in recent decades.
Incidentally, at a special meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNECOSOC) on safeguarding energy and supply flows, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Parvathaneni Harish said targeting commercial shipping, endangering civilian crew and impeding freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is "unacceptable".
On May 13, an India-flagged commercial vessel came under attack off the coast of Oman.
Omani authorities rescued all 14 crew members of the vessel sailing from Somalia, but it was not immediately known who carried out the strike.
