Govt. is aware of its duty: Krishna

By Our Special Correspondent

HAVERI, SEPT. 9. The Chief Minister, Mr. S. M. Krishna, asserted here today that the State Government was alive to what he considered as the elementary responsibility of providing succor to the people of drought-hit areas and that it would not allow financial stringency to come in the way of providing relief to them.

Mr. Krishna was speaking to presspersons after touring the drought-hit areas and reviewing relief works in Haveri District. While efforts were on to get additional assistance from the Centre, the State Government would not wait for the Central aid to ahead with the schemes.

He hoped to get a positive response from the Group of Ministers, which was expected to meet shortly to consider the report given by the Central team, which had visited the State.

His Government did not believe in a confrontationist attitude but believed in persuasion. He would join hands with his counterpart in Andhra Pradesh, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, who had demanded special assistance, he said.

Regarding the BJP's criticism that the Government was slow in taking up relief works, Mr. Krishna said he would welcome all suggestions with humility and consider the views expressed by the BJP leaders as an expression of earnestness in mitigating the sufferings of the people. However, a part of the criticism of his Government, by the BJP, should be applicable to the Centre also. The BJP leaders should use their energies in prevailing upon the Centre to extend help to the State.

Regarding suicide among farmers, Mr. Krishna said that he would like to make a statement at the meeting in Jamkhandi on Monday (in the presence of the Congress President, Ms. Sonia Gandhi) and declined to elaborate the same.

On the State Government's stand that it would like to hold a magisterial inquiry into the cases of suicide before announcing compensation, he said that the policy was there and it needed to be utilised.

He ruled out the possibility of the Government acting on the BJP suggestion to form taluk-level all-party committees to supervise the execution of drought relief works.

The Government had been consulting the local elected representatives belonging to different shades of political opinion, he added.

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