CM to visit Kalaburagi on Sept 30, directs officials to intensify relief

CHief government minister Siddaramaiah instructed senior officials to deepen ease trading operations in Kalaburagi, Bidar, Yadgir, and Vijayapura, foursome districts in the Kalyana Karnataka region now under severe threat with rivers swelling and floodwaters spilling into villages across northern Karnataka.A statement from the chief minister’s office announced that Siddaramaiah will visit Kalaburagi district on September 30 to assess damage caused by floods in the Bhima river basin. He will meet officials in Kalaburagi to review relief measures in flood-hit areas, a statement from his office said on Sunday.The crisis has been triggered by heavy rains in Kalaburagi and the release of water from Maharashtra’s Ujani and Neera reservoirs. The flow downstream has left vulnerable villages in low-lying areas, including Bennethora, staring at inundation. For many farmers, the floods have already begun to swallow fields and expose livestock to rising waters, compounding the sense of urgency.“The situation demands close monitoring,” Siddaramaiah said in instructions issued to his cabinet and the state bureaucracy. He directed revenue minister Krishna Byre Gowda, chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh, and the Kalaburagi deputy commissioner to ensure that response measures are not only immediate but also visible on the ground.The chief minister underscored that officials should take personal responsibility for managing the crisis. “Deputy commissioners and Zilla Panchayat CEOs must personally visit the flood-affected areas and take emergency measures. District in-charge secretaries should immediately visit the districts, review the situation, and guide the local administration on required steps,” he said.Siddaramaiah instructed multiple senior officials to travel to the region. “The Rural Development Department secretary and additional chief secretary of the Water Resources Department should visit the affected regions. All necessary precautions must be taken to prevent loss of human and animal lives,” he said.Beyond evacuation, he stressed the importance of relief measures that address both people and livestock. “Food centres must be set up for the affected people, and fodder arrangements should be made for livestock,” Siddaramaiah said. The directions reflected the particular anxiety of farmers in villages where crops have been destroyed and cattle remain exposed to the waters.Farmers in Kalaburagi and Yadgir districts have already begun pressing for compensation, pointing to paddy fields lost to flooding and cattle driven from sheds into the open. Their demands come at a time when the government has been reinforcing relief camps and mobilizing supplies in the affected taluks.Meanwhile, Union minister for heavy industries and steel HD Kumaraswamy added his voice to the calls for immediate action. In a statement issued Sunday, he said he had spoken directly with the deputy commissioners of Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Vijayapura, Bidar, and Raichur. He said he urged them “to undertake relief work without delay” and emphasized that the state government must treat protection of lives and provision of essential facilities as its “top priority.”Kumaraswamy pressed for extensive preparations to support displaced families. “The state government should set up relief camps in every flood-affected taluk and ensure availability of emergency facilities to the people. Adequate stocks of food, drinking water, clothing, blankets and emergency medicines should be delivered to all the districts without delay,” he said.He also called for more aggressive rescue efforts by specialised forces. “The NDRF and SDRF personnel should intensify their rescue efforts and pay special attention to the protection of the elderly, children and women,” Kumaraswamy said. “Schools, hostels and educational institutions should be immediately converted into temporary relief and health centres and appropriate arrangements be made for shifting flood-affected families and young children to safe places.”The minister warned that the floods were not only a humanitarian challenge but also a grave economic setback. “In addition to the loss of lives, severe crop loss and damage has occurred in these districts. The condition of the farmers is heart-breaking and appropriate and timely relief should be provided to them. This will enable them to regain their livelihood,” he said.Kumaraswamy expressed particular concern for livestock, which he described as the backbone of the agrarian economy. “Livestock and animals have suffered greatly. Urgent action should be taken to provide fodder, shelter and medical care, especially to the livestock, which are the lifeline of the farming community,” he said. He added that both public health and animal health teams should be kept “on alert at all times.”The Kalyana Karnataka region, which includes Bidar, Vijayapura, Yadgir, Kalaburagi, Raichur, and Koppal, has endured repeated weather shocks.