Blacklist Navayuga company, MP Shobha directs NH officers
Udupi, July 2: Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha Member Shobha Karandlaje directed the National Highway Authority officials to recommend the central government to blacklist the Navayuga company for delaying the work of National Highway 66.
Presiding over the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DDCMC) “Disha” at the ZP hall here on Monday, she said that the officials who were getting government salary should recommend the centre to blacklist the company instead of favouring it. Instead of completing the works, the company has been extending the timeline. If the company has any problem, let them come with her to Delhi to find solutions, she said.
Officials said that the company was under financial crises due to which the work is delayed. Service roads were sanctioned for Uchchila and Udyavara. The bypass road work of Padubidri and Karavali junction would complete by December end. However, the work of over-bridge of Kundapura would be completed by March next, said officials.
1694 houses electrified
Total 2926 powerless houses were identified in the district and among them, 1694 houses were electrified at a cost Rs 7.15 crore under Deen Dayal Electrification Scheme. In Udupi district, work of 16 CRF roads were taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 180 crore and among them, 13 workers were completed. The work of two roads in Karkala would be completed after rainy season, said officials.
The MP asked the officials to put up name board as CRF roads and inform her while inaugurating the roads.
Under Vajpayee housing scheme, total 384 houses were sanctioned to urban area. In the Ashraya Committee meeting, total 184 beneficiaries who have sites were selected and work was going on. Remaining beneficiaries would be finalized within a month, said officials.
ZP project director Nayana said that it was targeted to construct 103 houses in rural areas during 2016-17. Among them, 50 houses were completed and 38 were under progress. In 2017-18, 21 houses were completed among total 30 target and three were under progress.
Amount credited to accounts
As the pregnant women were finding it difficult to come to Anganwadi centres to have lunch under Matru Poorna scheme, the food was being sent to them through children. Now, boiled rice was being given in the district. Under Matru Vandana scheme, total 22,456 persons were credited Rs 5000 to each of their accounts, said Woman and Child Welfare department deputy director Gracy Gonsalves.
The MP said that the pregnant women could not come to Anganwadi centres to have lunch. In some places, even autos could not reach the Anganwadi centres. So, it would be better if their expenses were credited into their accounts. So, submit a report to the government about this issue, she said.
Port department engineer said that Gangolli port was developed at a cost of Rs 78 crore, but the department has to get the balance from the centre. In the same way, a project worth Rs 138.6 crore for Hejamadi port was cleared and MoU should be finalized before sending it to the central government, he said.
Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis, ZP president Dinakar Babu, CEO Shivananda Kapashi, ADC G Anuradha and others were present.
23 towers upgraded as 3G
The district has total 165 3G and 215 2G BSNL towers and among 2G towers, 28 towers were upgraded into the 3G towers. Two new towers were sanctioned for Pajaka and Attur Church areas and proposal was sent for another two towers at Rattadi and Thombattu, said BSNL officer.
Taluk panchayat president Nalini Pradeep Rao complained against server problem in several places. The MP also said that she was getting complaints about the land line problems. Officials promised of taking steps to solve the problem.
The Indrali new railway station work is taken up at a cost of Rs 11.33 crore and it would complete by March 2019. The work of Ramakrishna Hegde Training Centre taken up at a cost of Rs 2 crore would also be completed by November. The electrification of Verna Thokur railway line at a cost of Rs 317 crore is under progress and the department would require Rs 4 crore to expand the department buildings, said Konkan Railway officials.
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Karnataka Assembly passes bill on Palace Grounds amid opposition protest
Bengaluru, Mar 6 (PTI): The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed the Bangalore Palace (Utilisation and Regulation of Land) Bill, reaffirming state ownership over 472 acres and 16 guntas of land here, amid protests by the opposition BJP.
During the discussion, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state government would have to provide Rs 200 crore worth of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for each acre of land, which means that for 15 acres, Rs 3,000 crore worth of TDR would be issued.
“If we accept it, then this 2-km stretch of road will become the costliest road in the world. If we accept it then how are we going to develop the city in later stages? How will you carry out development works?” asked Patil.
He also pointed out that this question was raised not only under the Congress government but also during the previous BJP regime.
However, the BJP-led cabinet has opposed the project.
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“Suppose we agree to it then, what will be the valuation of the 472 acres? It will be lakhs and lakhs of crores of rupees. Can we accept?” Patil wondered.
The Minister said the government had previously exercised its executive powers to issue an ordinance, which was approved by the Governor. Now the government is bringing a bill with two amendments.
“In this bill, we have made provisions either to develop or drop the road development work,” Patil explained.
However, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and BJP MLA Arvind Bellad opposed the move, alleging that the government was targetting Yaduveer Krishna Datta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the Mysuru royal family, and the BJP MP from Mysuru-Kodagu constituency out of political vendetta.
“We talk of 472 acres of Mysuru Maharaja but here there are many Maharajas who too own 400 acres, 500 acres and thousands of acres of land, which is known to everyone,” Bellad said.
He slammed the Congress government, saying political power should not be misused for personal vendetta.
“Why (the then Deputy Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah brought the law in 1996 pertaining to the Bangalore Palace? Why are you setting eyes on the Bangalore Palace?” he asked.
Vijayendra charged that Wadiyar won the election on BJP ticket so the state government realised that it should acquire it.
“This bill has been brought for political vengeance. We are not discussing whether Rs 3,000 crore is exorbitant or not but the moment Yaduveer became MP, the state government woke up. You should be ashamed. This house should not be used for political vendetta,” he said.
Intervening, Minister Priyank Kharge said Vijayendra should not have raised it because the intention behind building the road was noble.
According to him, the BJP too had the same plan when it was in power.
He sought to know whether thousands of crores of rupees be spent on a road which should have cost significantly less.
In response, BJP MLA B A Basavaraj (Byrathi) said issuing TDR will not be a burden on the state government and appealed to the ruling Congress to reconsider its stance.
Minister Ramalinga Reddy too explained that the Karnataka government acquired the entire land way back in 1996.
The Mysuru royal family went to the High Court, which gave ruling in favour of the state government. The royal family then approached the Supreme Court, where the case is still going on, the Minister pointed out.
“The final judgment is pending in the SC to decide whether the acquisition was right or wrong. If the SC says it’s the royal family’s property then let it be so. If the order is in the state government’s favour then we can take a decision. The bill is only about it,” Reddy explained.
Speaker U T Khader then called for a voice vote and the bill was passed by the Assembly amidst opposition BJP’s discontent.
