Bangalore: Another Rs 120 Cr; Flood Relief Collection Swells to Rs 620 Cr

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Oct 8: Even as the Centre is yet to open its purse-strings to sanction funds for taking up relief and rehabilitation works to help the victims of Karnataka’s worst-ever flood devastation in the northern and coastal parts of the state, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa’s initiative to mobilise part of the resources by directly approaching the people by undertaking padayatra has evoked unprecedented and generous public response.

On the second day of his padayatra along with most of his cabinet colleagues in Jayanagar, Banashankari, Chamarajpet and Basavanagudi regions in the city in addition to visiting the corporate offices of state’s ITand BT majors like Infosys, Wipro and Biocon yielded an impressive Rs 120 crore.

Syndicate Bank presented 3 crore cheque to calamity fund

CM met Sri Balagangadara Swami

CM offering puja before padayatra

Padayatra for calamity fund

Sri Balagangadara Swami felicitated CM

CR Manjunath

A tailor at Banashankari donating for calamity fund

BDCC chairman presenting cheque

With the collection of Rs 300  crore in Bangalore on Wednesday and another Rs 200 crore in the unaffected parts of northern Karnataka, the total funds collected through padayatras has touched Rs 620 crore. The cash contribution that was raised on Thursday was Rs 3.5 crore.

Apart from these initiatives, the chief minister has already written to most of the state chief ministers for generous contribution to help provide relief and rehabilitate over 17.8 million people affected by the floods in 4,292 villages of 15 of the state’s 29 districts claiming a toll of 222 lives besides death of 5,300 cattle and total collapse or damages of 3,58,755 houses with the total estimated damages of over Rs 20,000 crore.

Several media organisations and different political parties have also taken up similar drives to mobilise funds and materials for providing relief and rehabilitation of the millions of helpless victims.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was scheduled to undertake an aerial survey of the flood affected regions on Friday, has postponed his visit to Saturday, October 10. The state government has already written to the Centre to declare the unprecedented flood havoc in almost half the state as a ``national calamity’’ and sanction special assistance of Rs 10,000 crore under the National Calamity Fund with immediate release of one-third amount as advance payment to undertake relief and rehabilitation works.

After the Prime Minister’s aerial survey of Raichur and other parts of the state on Saturday, Yeddyurappa said the government will be holding a comphrehensive discussion with leaders of all party political leaders on Sunday, October 11.

CMs visit to Biocon

CMs visit to Infosys

CMs visit to Wipro

Announcing the release of an additional grant of Rs 100 crore for the relief works on Thursday, he said the state government has so far released Rs 410 crore without waiting for the Central grants for flood relief.

Yeddyurappa informed reporters after the end of the second day’s padayatra in the city that the government has already managed to mobilise funds for construction of 1 lac houses.  He, however, mentioned that the government wanted to shift people in over 120 low-lying areas to safer places and build 1 lac houses for them. He also announced that the government has decided to enhace the grant for repair of the partially damaged houses from the present limit of Rs 35,000 to Rs 50,000.

The chief minister, who was accompanied by most of his cabinet colleagues, MPs and Legislators, visited the offices of Infosys, Wipro and Biocon. While Infosys chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy offered to build 3,000 houses at a cost of Rs 30 crore as a generous gesture from his company, Wipro’s Azim Premji and Biocon boss Kiran Mazumdar Shaw also made similar offers. The Marwari Association as well as ABC  Trading Group’s Dr Siddarth offered to build 1,000 houses each at a cost of Rs 10 crore each. The Century Group’s Satish Pai and Dayanand Pai offered to build 2,000 houses at a cost Rs 20 crore while the Kammavari Association has offered to build 500 houses at a cost of Rs 5 crore.

When the chief minister called on the Adichunchanagiri Mutt’s pontiff Balagangadharanath Swamiji, a generous offer of building 5,000 houses at cost of Rs 50 crore was promised.

The padayatra drew unprecedented public response with people from all walks of life generously contributing cash and cheques besides promising materials. The Siddaganga Mutt’s pontiff Shivakumaraswamy announced a contribution of Rs 25 lakh towards relief works and Rs 10 lakh for construction of houses. The Swamiji also offered to provide free education to the children of the affected families for three years in the Mutt’s educational institutions.

The Kerala Samajam, which has a huge following in the city, postponed its traditional Onam celebrations scheduled for October 11 and its president C P Radhakrisshan handed over a cheque of Rs 1 lac to the chief minister besides offering to collect cash, rice and clothes for the victims.

Encouraged by the spontaneous and generous public response, the chief minister has decided to continue his padayatra programme in the state capital in Hebbal, Malleswaram, Rajarajeshwarinagar, Mahalakshmi Layout, Yeshwanthpur and APMC Yard on Friday.