Adequate funds to meet flood situation: Sonia

Sonia Gandhi made a whirlwind visit of flood-ravaged areas of Karnataka and Maharashtra and promised all help.

UPA Chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday made a whirlwind visit of flood-ravaged areas of Belgaum district and promised the affected people that the Centre would send required funds to meet the situation in the state and Maharashtra.

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"Obviously, this area and areas of Maharashtra which I just visited are in a bad shape. The Centre will send the required funds," Gandhi told reporters on a visit from Maharashtra, where also she made an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas.

She said "wherever the people are suffering, the Centre will come to their help and rescue" and added that it had already released Rs 100 crore for Karnataka. "For further requirements, the Chief Minister will speak to Prime Minister who will do the needful."

Gandhi heard the victims' woes and spoke comforting words to them.

Karnataka Chief Minister N Dharam Singh, who accompanied Gandhi on her visit, said the Prime Minister would undertake an aerial survey of Belgaum district, which has borne the brunt of the flood fury, on August 16.

He said the State government had submitted a memorandum to the Centre through the Congress President seeking Rs 1,500 crore financial assistance. Singh said three lakh people had been affected by floods which had submerged 47 villages.

Citing preliminary reports, he said the state had suffered a Rs 772 crore crop loss.

Earlier, Gandhi toured the flood-affected areas of Kolhapur district in Maharashtra.