Central teams begin drought assessment in Karnataka; crop losses may touch Rs 60,000 Cr: Deputy CM

Bengaluru, Oct 3 (IANS) Three teams from the Centre have begun assessing the drought situation and crop losses in Karnataka, with the state government estimating the overall damage at between Rs 50,000 crore and Rs 60,000 crore. He also stated that eligible voters had been deleted from electoral rolls through Form-7 applications and said that the truth will emerge after the probe.

Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister, G. Parameshwara, said on Saturday that the state would submit a final memorandum seeking drought relief from the Centre after the assessment of all affected areas is completed.

The three central teams comprise officials from various Union ministries, including the Agriculture and Environment ministries. They will visit different regions of the state to verify the ground situation, assess crop losses and examine the availability of water.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Parameshwara said one team would cover the Tumakuru, Chitradurga and Davanagere region, another would visit North Karnataka, while the third would inspect the Mysuru region.

The teams would be briefed by the state government before undertaking their field visits. They would also interact with deputy commissioners and local officials and verify the information submitted by the state government.

Karnataka has declared 217 of its 240 taluks as drought-hit. Of these, the losses in 177 taluks have already been assessed at around Rs 46,000 crore, which has been included in the second memorandum submitted to the Centre.

The assessment of losses in another 40 taluks declared drought-hit on October 1 is underway.

Once the assessment of all 217 taluks is completed, the total crop and related losses could reach Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore, Parameshwara said.

The state government has already submitted two memoranda to the Centre seeking drought relief. The second memorandum covered 177 taluks and estimated the losses at around Rs 46,000 crore. A third and final memorandum covering all 217 drought-hit taluks will be submitted after the central teams complete their assessment and the remaining loss assessment is finalised.

Parameshwara said the recent rainfall would not adversely affect the drought assessment. Though the rain could provide some relief in terms of drinking water availability, it would not substantially benefit crops that had already suffered damage.

The central teams would be provided details of rainfall and drought conditions recorded during May, June, July, August and September, he said.

“The drought situation will not be assessed only on the basis of the recent rainfall,” Parameshwara said.

Regarding the 22 taluks that have not been declared drought-hit, he said ground-truthing would be conducted to establish the actual situation. Some of these taluks could also qualify as drought-hit after assessment, while certain taluks in the coastal region may not meet the required criteria.

“We will take action based on the actual situation found during the assessment,” he said.

On allegations that eligible voters had been deleted from electoral rolls through Form-7 applications, Parameshwara said an investigation should be conducted to establish the facts.

He rejected BJP criticism that Congress leaders had staged a protest at the Chief Electoral Officer’s office, saying they had gone there to submit a memorandum seeking action over the allegations.

“We had gone to submit a memorandum to the Election Commission. Since we did not receive a proper response, we remained there until they responded. We are the people running the government. Why would we go there to stage a protest?” he asked.

Parameshwara said FIRs had already been registered at several places in connection with Form-7 applications. He alleged that applications had been collected, signed and submitted in bundles and said the Election Commission had been requested to initiate criminal proceedings wherever necessary.

He claimed that some bundles contained applications relating to 50 to 60 people belonging to the same community, raising questions about how their personal and electoral details were obtained.

“Where were these applications printed? Who printed them? How did the people submitting them obtain all this information? There is a suspicion that several things have happened behind this,” he said.

He added that the government would provide the necessary documents and evidence to the appropriate investigating agencies at the appropriate stage.

Parameshwara said the allegations should be investigated impartially and that the government would accept the findings of such an inquiry.

“If the investigation establishes that no wrongdoing took place and everything was proper, we are ready to accept it. But our allegation is that there was wrongdoing, and we will provide the evidence. Let the concerned authorities investigate. The truth will emerge after the investigation,” he said.

–IANS

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