Malekudiya tribals deprive of basic facilities
Demand for road, electrification remains a distant dream
Belthangady, August 10: Though the Malekudiya tribals in Banjaru Male in Neriya village in the taluk have been living without basic infrastructure for decades, neither the elected representatives nor the officials came forward to fulfill their demands of a road connectivity and electrification. The residents have been running from pillar to post to get their works done. Successive governments also have failed to provide the minimum basic facilities.
The previous Congress government had released Rs 2 crore in the last days for concretization of road. Shortly after this, Assembly election was announced and the project was put in cold storage. Even after a new government was formed, there is no mention of this project. When the tribals ask the authorities, they said they do not have any information about the project. Though they ran from one office to another with the sanction letter, they are not getting proper response. Now, the residents believe that they were once again deceived by the government and the elected representatives.
They boycotted election
When the Assembly elections were declared, the Banjaru Male residents had decided to boycott the elections. They had announced that they would not vote in the election. At this time, Election Commission officers and district officials had visited the colony and tried to convince them by showing the government order and information on funds. They had given the official order copy of the government. Unfortunately, the same officials who had shown the order copies, are now trying to mislead the people.
But district coordinator Hemalatha said that she does not have any information on Rs 2 crore released for concrete road in the colony of Banjaru Male tribals. She did not get any order for this. Earlier, Rs 1 crore fund was released to the colony and the work was also done, she said.
Tribal Rights Coordination Committee leader Shekhar Laila said that the successive governments have been cheating the Malekudiya tribals who were the residents of the colony for years. They were not given minimum basic facilities. Officials used to visit the colony and give promises. The funds released by the government will not go anywhere. If the work is not being taken up, the authorities should take action against the officer responsible for it, he said.
Banjaru Male resident Nagesh said that no one has objected to take up road works and provide electrification. The Yenepoya Estate authorities have given their permission to lay the road in their area. But the government has been cheating the people. Three months ago, officials came to their colony and said that the funds were available for the works and now, they were telling that they do not have funds. The authorities should take steps to take up the works with the funds released already, he demanded.
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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.
