Kundapur: CM Inaugurates New Police Station, Various Projects Launched

Pics: Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SM)

Kundapur, Oct 1: "The new police station at Amasbailu has been built with a view to deal with Naxalism, as this is a Naxal-affected area. Talks will be held before deciding on whether security and the number of policemen need to be increased," said chief minister Jagadish Shettar.

He was speaking to reporters after inaugurating a new police station at Amasbailu here on Monday October 1.

Later during a stage programme at Garodi premises Shettar said, "I am coming to Udupi for the first time, and I am happy that I came directly to Amasebailu. I was a rural development minister earlier, and as chief minister now, I think on the same lines as to how to develop the rural areas in the state."

"Cauvery dispute is a burning issue now, and I was supposed to cancel my visit. But I had to come on the invitation of A G Kodgi, who I cannot disappoint," he said.

He further said that Rs 45 lac had been spent on building the new police station, and Rs 1.53 crore on providing solar village system to 1,500 families. Rs 50 lac has been spent on agriculture and other projects.

He also lauded Amadebailu charitable trust for working to facilitate rural development projects.

"Nothing much was done prior to Yeddyurappa's regime, but since then hundreds of schemes have been started by the BJP for the poor and for rural developement," he said.

"Special package has been proposed for the Naxal-affected villages, under which a sum of Rs 1 crore will be granted for the develpment of Amasebailu, Kollur, Subramanya and other places," he said, adding that all of it will be done stage by stage.

"Earlier the sate government had alloted Rs one crore for the development of zilla panchayat and Rs one crore for taluk panchayat, but now a fund of Rs two crore will be released for zilla panchayat," he added.

"The state has not been given even one km of road under the PM Gram Sadak Yojana. I have met the central rural development minister Jairam Ramesh several times and discussed this issue. He had promised that the centre would put in 75 percent of the funds for the development of 2000 kilometres of road, but nothing has been done so far. The state government is ready to invest 25% of the total expenses. We have taken permission from the finance department and urged for the immediate implementation of develpment of 2000-km roads," he said.

Several schemes and projects were symbolically inaugurated on the occasion. While minister Kota Srinivas Poojary solar village project and the agricultural market, the community bhavan was inaugurated by MLC Shankaramurthy, backward class girls' hostel by MLC Capt Ganesh Karnik, Tombattu-Bagimane Bridge by Yeddyurappa's son Raghavendra, and drinking water project and PM Gram Sadak Yojana by CM Shettar.

Addressing the gathering, Shankaramurthy said that people are moving from villages to towns as the latter are more modernized. "When they are asked the reason for shifting, they say villages lack facilities. With the launching of new projects at Amasebailu, a small attempt has been made to provide maximum facilities to the people at the earliest," he said.

Raghavendra spoke on the Cauvery water-sharing dispute and said that it is a burning issue at the moment. "Despite the boiling Cauvery issue, CM Shettar has made time and come to Udupi, which is really appreciable," he said.

"People should think of resettling in villages. The BJP government is doing its best to provide modern facilities in rural areas. We are there to help," he added.

MP Jayaprakash Hegde took a dig at the BJP-led state government and said, "Just inaugurating agricultural market is not enough. People in Gulvani and Basroor cannot come to such markets as the distance is too much. Hence the government should focus on providing other facilities too."

"The government should give sufficient water facilities, and Varahi scheme and small-scale irrigation project should be given equal importance," he added.

On the issue related to 'kumki' land, he said that it was sad to see people holding kumki privileges lose their forest land for various reasons. "The government should rethink about it," he urged, adding that the state government should also give a clear cut idea about the tiger reserve project and say which areas exactly come under it.

Kota Srinivas Poojary said that the state government had lost Rs 3052 lac because of loan waiver to 15,000 farmers. He also said that Byndoor to Talapady solar street light system will be introduced soon.