By IANS,
Bangalore: The Karnataka government plans to impose a special tax to raise Rs.1,000-1,500 crore for relief and rehabilitation works in the flood-hit districts of north Karnataka, Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said Sunday.
“The proposed tax will be operational for six months to one year to raise funds for executing relief and rehab schemes in the 15 worst-affected districts of the state due to the recent rain havoc and flash floods,” Yeddyurappa told leaders of political parties at an all-party meeting here.
Keeping in view the enormity of the damage caused to life and property, including agricultural crops, he said the government’s first priority was to build about 100,000 houses to shelter the flood-hit people whose homes were either destroyed or washed away in the floods.
“We plan to acquire 4,000-5,000 acres of land by invoking the emergency clause in the Land Acquisition Act. People living in 217 villages in low-laying areas and on either side of river banks have to be shifted to higher plains,” the chief minister said.
Deputy Commissioners in the affected districts will head the committees that will be set up to acquire the lands for building the houses.
“We will not hesitate to go for borrowings to raise resources for rehabilitating the affected people. Relief measures have been taken up on war-footing to restore normalcy at the earliest,” Yeddyurappa hinted at.
Expressing hope that the central government would not let down the state in this hour of crisis, the chief minister said he had sought an interim relief of Rs.10,000 crore under the National Calamity Contingency Fund as the devastation was estimated to be about Rs.20,000 crore.
“We have sought Rs.16,500 crore from the central government under the Calamity Relief Fund and NCCF as this is the first time that more than half the districts in the state were affected by a natural disaster,” the chief minister noted.
In this context, Yeddyurappa told his cabinet colleagues to camp in the affected district headquarters to supervise the implementation of relief and rehab measures.
“I do not want to see any minister either in Bangalore or at Vidhan Soudha (state secretariat) in the coming weeks. They must stay put in the districts of which they are in-charge to ensure speedy implementation of the relief works,” Yeddyurappa reiterated.
Opposition parties, led by the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), have pledged full support to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in restoring normalcy in the affected districts by contributing to relief and rehabilitation activities.
The chief minister will also hold a high-level meeting Monday to select a dedicated team of top officials for deputation in the flood-hit districts to assist the local administration in relief measures.
Union Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily and Union Minister of State for Railways K.H. Muniyappa, who hail from the state, participated in the two-hour meeting. Many Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha members from the state also participated in it.