The flood situation eased in north Karnataka as the week-long rains showed signs of abating but the toll mounted to 194 today with the recovery of 26 more bodies.
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, accompanied by chief minister BS Yeddyurappa, undertook an aerial survey of the ravaged areas in Bellary district. Torrential rains that left a trail of death and destruction in 15 districts damaging over 200,000 houses in 1,467 villages subsided since Sunday, officials said.
After the aerial survey, Yeddyurappa said the state has suffered an unprecedented damage exceeding Rs 20,000 crore. Bijapur district bore the brunt of the rain fury with 31 deaths followed by Raichur and Bagalkote (26 each). Over 453,000 people have been sheltered in 13,330 relief camps. A 500 metre-long bridge across the Tungabhadra river, 32 km from Raichur, was washed away in flood waters, officials said.
A large number of villages still remained marooned and air force, army and National Disaster Response Force teams were carrying out relief and rescue operations in full swing. IAF choppers did several sorties, dropping food packets and relief materials to the disaster-stricken people, who have been rendered homeless.
CM demands Rs 10,000 crore relief from Centre
Bellary: Expressing satisfaction over the infrastructural help provided by the Centre for flood-hit districts of the state, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa today stuck with his demand for a relief package of Rs 10,000 crore from the UPA government.
Yeddyurappa, who is on a tour to the rain-affected districts, told reporters here that the Centre had extended all assistance to the state in the form of helicopters, boats and National Disaster Response Force teams to carry out relief and rescue operations. However, he reiterated his appeal for Rs 10,000 crore central aid for carrying out relief measures before Home Minister P Chidambaram and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who were scheduled to conduct an aerial survey of the district today. Yeddyurappa said he would also seek help from other states to tackle the flood situation.