Silvester D'Souza

Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Aug 25: "Because of unprecedented floods, many people from Kodagu and coastal districts lost their lives, and these districts suffered loss to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore. But the central government has been owning step-motherly attitude towards our state as far as sanctioning flood relief fund is concerned," claimed chief whip of Karnataka legislative council, Ivan D'Souza.

Addressing a press meet at the Congress office here on Friday August 24, Ivan pointed out that the Prime Minister (PM) had conducted aerial survey about the loss due to floods in Kerala. He said that although Kodagu district in Karnataka too was devastated due to floods and even though the state has 17 BJP members of parliament, no one could ensure that the PM came to Karnataka too to assess the flood damage through aerial survey.

"The state government has extended all kinds of assistance to the people who suffered on account of floods,, but the centre is yet to provide any fund to the state government so far for this purpose. I urge the central government to at least now sanction flood relief to our state liberally," he said.

Ivan stated that the previous Congress government and the current coalition government in Karnataka have provided grants on a large scale for providing basic facilities, underground drainage, road development etc in all the city municipalities, town municipalities, town panchayats etc. He therefore reasoned that people have been leaning towards Congress party and exuded the confidence of the party's victory in Udupi, Kundapur and Karkala municipalities as well as Saligrama town panchayat election this time.

Block Congress president, Malyadi Shivaram Shetty, secretary,Vinod Crasta, party leaders, Vikas Hegde, Devaki Sannayya,and B Hiriyanna, were present at the press conference.