Bengaluru, Oct. 1 -- Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday conducted an aerial survey of flood-hit areas in the state's northern districts, wherein weeks of heavy rainfall and river overflows have inundated villages, displaced thousands of people and dealt severe damage to agriculture.

Siddaramaiah was accompanied by cabinet colleagues MB Patil, minister of small and medium industries (excluding sugar), rural development minister Priyank Kharge and revenue minister Krishna Byre Gowda. The inspection began in Kalaburgi, which one of the hardest hit districts. After landing at the local airport in the morning, he convened a meeting with senior officials to assess the situation before boarding a helicopter to view the submerged v...