The State government on Monday decided to release an additional ₹600 crore, including ₹300 crore to Bengaluru, to take up relief work in the rain and flood-affected areas, even as it announced a slew of measures to improve the situation in Bengaluru.
“To address the disruption of water supply owing to flooding of the pump house in T.K. Halli, a contingency plan has been formed to supply water to the areas affected. Water from about 8,000 borewells would be drawn to supply to areas coming under the Cauvery third stage and fourth stage second phase,” Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai told reporters after chairing a video conference with the Deputy Commissioners of the flood-affected districts.
Among other major decisions taken on Monday, included installing sluice gates to major tanks in Bengaluru besides removal of encroachments.
According to the Chief Minister, while there are 164 tanks in the city, they do not have sluice gates that are important in lake management system.
Stating that no infrastructure can be readied for such heavy rains, he said: “Bommanahalli, Mahadevapura, and K.R. Puram received 307% more rains than the average in the last five days of September and other areas in the city have received 150 % more rains than the average- highest since 1992-1993.”
The Chief Minister also said that the government has decided to set up three more SDRF companies, including one for Bengaluru.
While the government announced additional ₹600 crore, in addition to the ₹644 crore already available with the Deputy Commissioners and ₹1,500 crore released for storm-water drains in Bengaluru, it has also decided to revisit the estimates for losses before submitting it to the Central team, which is visiting the State on Tuesday.
Mr. Bommai said that the State has already submitted a memorandum detailing losses to an extent of about ₹11,000 crore and the government has decided to add the losses suffered between September 1 and 5.
In the last five days alone, rain has damaged crops on about 16,100 hectares, 255 km of roads, and about 2,500 residential buildings, leaving about 5,092 people in relief shelters in 17 districts across the State, the Chief Minister said.
