Mangalore: Home Minister Skips Visit to Rain-Ravaged Areas in District
Pics: Prajwal Ukkuda
Daijiworld Media Network- Mangalore (RS/SB)
Mangalore, Jul 19: Following cancellation of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa’s visit to areas in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts affected by natural calamities, Home Minister Dr V S Acharya who was scheduled to visit these areas skipped his visit to rain and sea erosion affected areas in DK district. He ended his district visit with a short meeting of officials at the deputy commissioner’s office here on Sunday, July 19.
CM’s flight did not land at Mangalore airport due to the bad weather. With CM’s scheduled visit to rain-ravaged areas in the districts cancelled, it was scheduled that Acharya will visit all these with officials and local MLAs. But V S Acharya after finishing his scheduled visits in Udupi district cut-short his DK district visit by planning to hold only a meeting of the officials and skipping the visit to rain-affected areas.
The meeting planned with officials too was only of 20-minute-duration after which he informed the officials that he had to attend some other pressing engagement due to which the visits to rain and sea erosion affected areas have been cancelled.
Speaking to media persons after the meeting, V S Acharya said that the state government so far has released Rs 5 crore for relief works at rain-ravaged areas. But there is need for Rs 33 crore as relief for works that needs to be undertaken in the twin districts, he said.
Speaking about the problem of ore-laden trucks, Acharya said that the district roads have been damaged due to increased traffic of ore-laden trucks and necessary action will be taken to curb ore-laden truck menace. The trucks will be banned within a week after discussing all the probabilities, he assured.
District in-charge minister J Krishna Palemar, MLAs N Yogish Bhat, Abhayachandra Jain and U T Khader were present at the meeting.
Meanwhile, the residents of the rain-affected areas since past two days have been demanding people’s representatives to visit the areas so that their grievances can be heard and some temporary solutions are found. Following residents have also shown their ire through media by stating that ministers have neglected the areas which have been affected due to floods.