HD Kumaraswamy directs officials to undertake relief work on war footing after rains wreak havoc in Karnataka

Bengaluru:  As rains pounded many parts of Karnataka leaving a trail of destruction, chief minister HD Kumaraswamy , on Saturday directed Chief Secretary K Ratna Prabha and other officials to undertake the relief work on a war footing.He directed the officials to remain alert round-the-clock and give updates on the situation and development to his office on a real time basis, an official release said. Kumaraswamy also held a meeting with the chief secretary and the deputy commissioners of the district and instructed them to ensure that fund crunch did not affect relief work.[caption id="attachment_4485431" align="alignleft" width="380"] File image of Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy. AP[/caption]The chief secretary briefed him on the measures taken so far and said sufficient funds for relief work was available with all the deputy commissioners. The chief minister also ordered all the district in charge secretaries to rush to their respective districts and take immediate steps for overseeing the relief work in rain-related areas.The chief secretary instructed the officials to give by Monday detailed reports on the situation and damage caused by the rain and undertake relief works speedily. Several parts of the state have been lashed by rains in the past few days.Heavy downpour was continuing in Belagavi, Gadag, Chikmagaluru, Mysuru and Chamarajnagara districts, officials said.