BENGALURU : Karnataka chief minister B.S.Yediyurappa on Wednesday offered to rename villages with those of companies that pay over Rs10 crore to help in rehabilitation and relocations after heavy rains and floods have left a sea of destruction across the state.
The plea by the chief minister to rename villages is part of the state government's efforts to mobilise funds to rehabilitate and relocate its displaced population after heavy rains and floods across several regions of Karnataka.
This years rains has inundated over 103 talukas in at least 22 districts of the state and at least 200 villages need to be relocated as a result. Yediyurappa met at least 60 industrialists in Bengaluru.
“The village will be treated as the village adopted by company that donates money for the relief work," Yediyurappa said, according to a statement by the chief minister’s office.
Around Rs4.09 crore has so far been donated by various sources to the chief minister's relief fund.
The rains in the state continued to subside in several parts revealing the extent of the damage while other regions continue to brace for more downpours.
Rains over north Karnataka is expected to be fairly widespread over the next three days while coastal and malnad are expecting more heavy showers, according to weather authorities in the state.
As on Wednesday, at least 61 humans and 859 animal lives were lost and at least 14 people were missing. The northern district of Belagavi has recorded 15 deaths while the coffee growing region of Kodagu lost 10 human lives, according to data.
A total of 697,948 people have been evacuated, of which 375,663 are currently lodged in 1,096 relief camps. Likewise, 51,460 animals have been rescued and about 4.70 lakh hectares of crops are estimated to have been damaged.
The government has decided to give Rs10,000 per family to those residing in the relief camps across the state. Yediyurappa had announced Rs1 lakh for repairs of homes and Rs5 lakh to construct new homes. At least 58,620 houses are partly or fully damaged.
