Karnataka: CM lays foundation for Rs 220 Cr airport project in his political bastion Shivamogga
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Monday laid the foundation stone for the construction of a Rs 220 crore airport project in his political bastion of Shivamogga, as he expressed confidence that it will give a boost to tourism, industries and economic activities in the region.
"The long-cherished dream of people of Shivamogga about having an airport is finally becoming a reality. The project that was planned when I was Deputy Chief Minister and Chief Minister in the past was shelved due to contractor issues and lack of interest by the governments that came later," Yediyurappa said.
Speaking at the foundation laying event for the airport, which he attended virtually via video conference, he said, now the government is once again taking up the project through infrastructure development and PWD departments.
The project to construct the well-equipped airport at Sogane in Shivamogga taluk at the cost of Rs 220 crore in the about 662.38-acre land area has been initiated, he said, adding that the project will be taken up in two phases.
He expressed hope that it will be completed in a year's time.
The first phase consists of the runway, taxiway, apron, approach road, peripheral road, and compound wall construction, while the second phase consists of terminal building, ATC tower, fire station building, among others, a release said.
Noting that under the Udan scheme the project has been envisaged to provide affordable air travel to people, the Chief Minister expressed confidence about tourism, industries, and economic activities in the region getting a boost, with the small airport coming up at Shivamogga.
He also directed officials to complete the airport work on time without compromising on the quality.
Highlighting various developmental works that are being implemented in Shivamogga, the district which is regarded as his political turf, Yediyurappa said, with the cooperation of the central government various railway projects have also been taken up in the district including Shivamogga- Shikaripura rail route.
Shikaripura is the constituency represented by the Chief Minister, while his son B Y Raghavendra represents Shimoga constituency in Lok Sabha.
Yediyurappa, who also inaugurated the divisional office of National Highway authority in the district, said a bridge project across river Sharavati at Singndur in Sagara taluk will be taken up.
Conceding that developmental work has taken a backseat due to the COVID-19 situation, the Chief Minister said the challenge is to overcome it and achieve development.
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Confident we are going to win Kerala: Shashi Tharoor
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday expressed confidence in the victory of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, saying the Congress-led alliance will win more than 75 seats out of the total 140 in the state.
Tharoor, who hails from Kerala, said he was not surprised to see the results of the exit polls, most of which predicted a victory for the UDF that has been out of power for 10 years in the state.
"We have been on the ground. I have campaigned in 59 constituencies across 12 districts out of 14. I was very confident we are going to win.
"Everything that I have picked up from not just my party colleagues and workers but also from other observers, media and others have always convinced me that we were going to score a comfortable win of above 75 seats. And all the (exit) polls have confirmed the same thing," he told reporters here.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP said he was not surprised to see the results of the exit polls but in general he was not a big fan of exit polls in India.
"Because ours is not purely a homogenous society. We have to take into account gender issue, caste issue, class issue, regional disparities. You never get a convincingly large enough sample to give an accurate poll and now there is the additional complication that we have heard about in West Bengal this year that many people are unwilling to answer the questions of the pollsters," he said.
The Congress leader said normally, it used to be below 10 per cent that people said that they would not answer.
"Even if you are a reputable exit pollster, in Bengal, one polling company has said 60 per cent of people refused to answer. So, what is the worth of a poll where 60 per cent of your respondents have not answered," he said.
Several exit polls on Wednesday predicted a comeback by the Congress-led UDF in Kerala after 10 years, dethroning the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Polling for the 140-member Kerala assembly was held on April 9. Results of assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Puducherry, besides Kerala, will be announced on May 4.
