Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday, November 29, said he has urged the Union Government to send a team to assess the rain related damage to release funds accordingly. "The Finance Department has written to the Disaster Management Secretary. The relief amount will be released once the fund arrives. I have also written to the Union government to send a team to assess the loss," Bommai told reporters.
He was responding to a query on the month-long rain spell wreaking havoc in parts of the state, where several people lost their lives. A large number of properties were also damaged and standing crops in vast areas were destroyed. The Chief Minister said the state government has done an assessment of the rain-related damage. He, however, said that he would give a detailed memorandum to the Union government once its team completes its assessment. Bommai said the districts have Rs 685 crore at their disposal for relief work and in some districts such as Davangere, disbursal of relief amount has started.
On Friday, November 26, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data showed that Karnataka has received as much as 292% excess rainfall in November. Andhra Pradesh had received 156% excess rains, Kerala showed 148% deviation, and Tamil Nadu witnessed a 115% departure, according to IMD data. At least 24 people lost their lives due to the rains since November 1, according to a press release by the Chief Minister’s Office based on the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) data. Additionally, the release also stated that 191 animals also died while around 5 lakh hectares of agricultural crops were damaged. The release further stated that 2,203 km of roads, 165 bridges, 1,225 school buildings and 39 Public Health Centres (PHCs) had been damaged due to the rains.