New Minister promises additional funds for relief, restoration

Minister for Handloom, Textiles and Sugar Shankar Patil Munenakoppa has promised more grants from the State government towards relief for the rain damage in Dharwad in July.

Chairing his first review meeting on floods and COVID-19 after becoming Minister in Dharwad on Saturday, Mr. Munenakoppa, said that the government would be impressed upon to sanction adequate funds for restoration works and compensation.

Already the Chief Minister had asked Deputy Commissioners of districts affected by downpour and floods to submit reports at the earliest, he said.

The Minister asked Health Department officials to focus on taking precautionary measures to prevent the possibility of a third wave in the district.

Stern measures should be taken to check the chain apart from strict imposition of night curfew, he said.

Emphasising the need for holding extensive awareness programmes on COVID-19 appropriate behaviour, Mr. Munenakoppa warned the officials against any negligence. “Testing, tracking, and treatment should be given importance and medical infrastructure should be enhanced. Two oxygen production units in Hubballi will be inaugurated on August 13,” he said.

Earlier, briefing about the rain damage in the district, Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad Nitesh Patil said that already a report had been submitted to the State government seeking funds for restoration and relief.

He said the district had incurred loss to the tune of ₹310 crores. “25 villages in six taluks faced flash floods. Following breach of Indirammana Kere in Alnavar, 800 people were evacuated. Two rehabilitation centre have set up to shelter 518 people. Two persons have lost lives in rain related incidents and 23 heads of cattle have been washed away. While 39 houses in the district collapsed completely, 93 suffered 75% damages. 1,622 houses have been partially damaged. ₹46 crore has been sought under NDRF,” he said.

Officials from the Agriculture Department informed the meeting that crop loss had been reported in 14,185 hectares of farmlands in the district.

District Health Officer Yashwanth Madinkar said that of the 10 lakh COVID-19 tests conducted in the district, 60,540 persons had tested positive during the first and the second waves. While 1,277 persons succumbed to the infection, 59,102 recovered from it, he said.

He said that while the positivity rate had increased to 24.2% in April and May, strict corrective measures and extensive sensitisation programmes helped reduce it to 0.37%.

Director of Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Ramalingappa Antarthani said that all arrangements had been made to counter the possible third wave.

Additional arrangements had been made for children and the Mother & Child Hospital was nearing completion, Dr. Ramalingappa said.