State government reduces flood damage estimate by 3,290 crore

Bengaluru: Revenue Minister R Ashoka on Tuesday said the state has reduced its flood damage estimate by Rs 3,290 crore RPT Rs 3,290 crore after the union government objected to inclusion of private buildings that were affected.

“We had sent estimates, including private building losses…like private hospitals, schools. So today we are sending (flood damage estimate) after revising it from the earlier Rs 38,451.11 crore to Rs 35,160.81 crore. Now we have deleted private buildings as the centre had objected to it,” Ashoka told reporters here.

The union government would release the amount as per the rules, he said and expressed the hope it would be done soon.

As many as 103 taluks in 22 districts were affected due to floods last month, in which over 80 people were killed.

Around seven lakh people were shifted to safe areas and lakhs of houses were damaged.

Opposition parties, including the Congress and JD(S) have hit out at BJP governments at the centre and the state over the ‘delay’ in release of funds, despite Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the inter-ministerial central team visiting the affected areas.

Congress leader Siddaramaiah had on Sunday alleged that the centre has sent back the state’s memorandum, seeking some clarifications and sought to know what difficulty Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in announcing the interim relief.

The revenue minister noted that a delegation of revenue department officials would head to Delhi to follow up with the centre on flood relief.

He maintained the state government has already released money for immediate relief and that central funds would be needed for rehabilitation of those displaced in the future.

The government hiked the ex-gratia from Rs 3,800 to Rs 10,000 per household to provide immediate relief to the flood affected, providing Rs 6,200 from the exchequer.