In July, Kalera Fateh, a Class 8 student, from Kodagu’s Emmemadu village recorded a video highlighting the issues faced by residents of the district due to heavy rainfall. He accused Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy of doing injustice to the region as there was no mention of any grants to the Kodagu region in the state Budget.
The video went viral and even caught the attention of Kumaraswamy, who recently visited Kodagu and met the boy.
Kalera met the CM on Thursday and thanked him for visiting the district. “The previous chief minister had forgotten it (the district), sir. I am happy that you have visited the district,” he reportedly said.
The CM replied saying that he would’ve visited the region even without the boy’s video.
Kalera also requested to the CM to sanction a government junior college in his village, which Public Works Department Minister HD Revanna said would be done within the year.
In the video, the boy had drawn attention to the plight of those in the Kodagu region who were suffering as a result of the heavy rains.
"When there is this much rain, it is a benefit to Mandya, Mysore and even Madras. So, therefore, you have to give relief to Kodagu first. But, you have left Kodagu like an orphaned child when it is actually the place where the Cauvery originates. The relentless rain has destroyed rice, coffee, pepper and areca nut crops. The heavy rains have forced elephants to move, due to which crops have been damaged. The roads are full of trucks stranded due to the rain,” he had said in the video.
Responding to the video, CM HD Kumaraswamy had said that he planned to visit the district and look into the damages and losses incurred by the rainfall.