Mangaluru:  Karnataka is witnessing an alarming increase in the number of coronavirus cases as the state government has totally ''failed'' to handle the pandemic crisis, working president of state Congress, Saleem Ahmed said on Sunday.

Addressing reporters here, Ahmed, who is on a tour of the southern states to review the Congress partys ''Arogya Hasta'' programme, alleged that there was complete lack of coordination among different departments to tackle the crisis. Ahmed said the state government has not yet responded to the charges of misappropriation of funds meant for Covid-19 care and the irregularities in purchase of equipment.

He further said the Congress will take up issues, including failure in the Covid-19 front, drug menace and the lapses in maintaining law and order in the assembly session, scheduled to begin later this month.

Karnataka on Sunday reported its biggest single day spike of 9,894 new COVID-19 cases and 104 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 4.59 lakh and the toll to 7,265. Ahmed said he will tour Mandya, Mysuru and Dakshina Kannada districts in the coming months to review the ''Arogya Hasta'' programme.

With the scheme, party representatives are visiting houses and conducting thermal scanning and other tests with the help of doctors. Grassroot level functions of the party will be strengthened ahead of the local body elections in the district, he added.