Samithi begins indefinite strike, seeks closure of Suratkal tollgate
Mangaluru: The Toll Gate Virodhi Horata Samiti, Surathkal, has begun an indefinite strike demanding the closure of the Surathkal toll plaza.
The MPs had promised at the National Highway Authority of India's (NHAI) meeting that the contract for the toll collection at the Surathkal toll gate will not be renewed after its date gets over on October 30. But now the NHAI authorities have once again initiated the process to renew the contract. With this, the highway authorities have decided to continue the illegal tollgate. MP Nalin Kumar Kateel is directly responsible for this, the protesters alleged.
Convener of Toll Gate Virodhi Horata Samiti Muneer Katipalla, former MLA Vijayakumar Shetty, MCC member Dayanand Shetty, Revati Putran, Purushottam Chitrapura, Former Mayor Hilda Alva, Raghavendra Rao, Joekatte Panchayat President Presilla Montaro, BK Imtiyaz, Santosh Bajal, Padre Rajesh Shetty, Mousabba Pakshikere, Srinath Kulalu, Ayub Koluru, Dinesh Kumpala, TN Raghavendra, Rahim Pakshikere, Abubakar Bawa, Rashid Mukka, Naveen Konchadi, Nasir Krishnapura, Ashraf Safa, Salim Katipalla, Hussain Katipalla, Santosh Kumar Hegde Kinnigoli, Durgaprasad Hegde Kinnigoli, Srikanth Salian, Bharat Shetty Kulai, Gangadhar Hosabettu, Gangadhar Banjan, D'Souza, jankoluru, Giridhar Sanil,Puneet Shetty, MG Hegde, Dalit leader Raghu Ekkar, Bhaskar Bajpe, Kamalaksha Bajal, JDS DK district President Mohammed Kunhi, Vasant Poojary, Muneer Mukkachcheri, Madhusudan Gowda, Congress leaders Farooq Ullal, Sadashiva Shetty, leaders of various organisations, and others participated in the protest.
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BJP stages walkout in Karnataka assembly over 'non-disbursal' of Gruha Lakshmi payout
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The opposition BJP on Wednesday staged a walkout from the Karnataka assembly protesting the alleged "non-disbursal" of two months' installments to 1.26 crore beneficiaries under a woman's assistance scheme of the state government.
The protest followed a heated debate in which the opposition accused the state government of providing "misleading" information regarding the payment status of the flagship Gruha Lakshmi scheme.
The saffron party members trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans, leading to the adjournment of the proceedings of the House for over an hour.
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The Gruha Lakshmi guarantee scheme is one of the five pre-poll promises of the ruling Congress. It provides Rs 2,000 monthly to women heads of the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.
The BJP legislators accused Woman and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar of having "misled" the House by giving false information to BJP MLA Mahesh Tenginkai that all the instalments till August have been paid under the scheme.
The opposition charged that the installments for the months of February and March this year were not paid.
The BJP MLAs' grouse was that they had been demanding an explanation from the Minister for the past three days, but she never turned up to provide information.
As soon as the session started, the opposition members trooped into the well of the House demanding the Minister's presence, which led to the adjournment.
When the members assembled again, the Minister replied that this is a unique flagship programme of the Congress government, which is a model for all the states.
Hebbalkar said she always strived to ensure that this scheme is implemented religiously.
"However, when I checked, I noticed that two months' installments were not paid to the beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). If my reply has hurt anyone, then I express my regret," she said.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who came to the defence of Hebbalkar, said the BJP should apologise for the lie in the Union Budget.
"Despite the Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra Irrigation Project in the budget, the money was not given to Karnataka. You should question that as well," Shivakumar underlined.
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To this, Leader of Opposition in the assembly R Ashoka said the matter was raised because not only were the BJP members hurt but also the 1.26 crore beneficiaries who were eagerly waiting for the money.
Demanding that the lie be expunged from the House records, he insisted on a date for when the backlog will be paid to the beneficiaries.
The Minister said she was apologising for giving a wrong reply, but she was peeved at the way a woman was targeted in the House.
Objecting to this statement, BJP MLA S Suresh Kumar asked her to refrain from playing victim card and bring up the issue of gender, caste and religious discrimination as it was a matter related to 1.26 crore people.
Ashoka and the BJP MLAs then staged a walkout, saying the Minister's reply was not satisfactory.
