Mangaluru:  Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and Mangalore MLA U T Khader said that the government has failed to tackle natural calamities that hit the coastal districts and other parts of the state.

The government has failed to seek additional grants from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to tackle the situation in the state. District In-charge Minister V Sunil Kumar had failed to convene a meeting to discuss damages to crops, houses, and steps taken to prevent such disasters at Sampaje, and other parts of Sullia, he told media persons at the Circuit House on Saturday. The CM and the BJP MLAs have failed to seek additional funds from Home Minister Amit Shah, who heads the NDRF, during his visit to Bengaluru.

Amit Shah’s visit was to discuss about strengthening the BJP and not about people affected by natural calamities in the state. The government should set up special teams and send them to the rain-affected areas in Sullia taluk. The expert team should recommend measures to prevent such disasters, he added.

“If the CM cannot seek additional funds from the Centre, then he should lead an all-party delegation to impress upon the Centre on the conditions prevailing after heavy rains lashed different parts of state,” he said. Even after CM Basavaraj Bommai, Revenue Minister R Ashoka, Fisheries Minister Angara and District In-charge Minister Sunil Kumar visited the sea erosion-affected areas in Ullal, Surathkal and Udupi, no works were initiated so far. People have lost faith in the government.

He urged the District In-Charge minister to convene a meeting to discuss communal harmony and ways to tackle disturbances in society. “The decision taken by the district administration to check untoward incidents should not aim at causing inconveniences to the common man. The CM has promised to visit houses of Masood and Fazil. The government should not engage in discrimination while announcing compensation for victims,” he added.