BANGALORE: Rejecting the Opposition’s charge that the state government had totally failed to tackle drought, Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda asserted that every step needed to provide relief to the affected people has been taken well in time. “I have been monitoring the drought-relief measures through video-conference once a week. There is no truth in the allegations of laxity as made out by the Opposition,” Gowda said during the debate on drought in the Assembly on Wednesday.According to the CM, the estimated loss due to the drought was Rs 4,245.84 crore. “I am willing to lead a delegation to the Centre to seek more funds... this should not be construed as the state ’s failure,” he said, adding, “The central team is visiting the state after which we can decide.” Gowda said the deputy commissioners have in all Rs 177 crore to take up relief works. “An additional Rs 63 crore will be released immediately to drill borewells, which cannot be taken up due to CRF rules,” he said. Pointing out that the government had banned transport of fodder to other states and goshalas (cattle camps) have been opened in Chitradurga and Bijapur, the CM said tankers have been pressed into service to provide drinking water. “We have taken up 27,765 water works at a cost of Rs1,500 crore, for which Rs 920 crore has been released.”
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