From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network -  Bangalore

Bangalore, Sep 4: Karnataka’s Planning and Statistics, IT, BT, Science and Technology Minister S R Patil presided over the general body meetings of Bayaluseeme Pradeshabhivriddhi Mandali (Bayalauseeme Area Development Board) and Malenadu Pradeshabhivriddhi Mandali (Malnad Area Development Board) in Bangalore on Wednesday.

Patil is chairman for all the area development boards by virtue of being Planning Minister, while MPs, MLAs, MLCs and Zilla Panchayat presidents of the respective districts are members of the boards.

The Bayalauseeme board meeting was held at Vidhana Soudha conference hall and was attended by Minister for Social Welfare, H Anjaneya, MLAs, MLCs and some of ZP presidents participated.

Members cutting across the party lines raised objections to the mere grant of Rs 22.7 lakh each to the boards, which they termed "a paltry sum."

Not even a km of road can be asphalted with this allocation, they said.

Members urged at least Rs 2 crore each be allocated to the board.

The meeting later passed a resolution urging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to raise the grant to the board so that each member could get at least Rs 2 crore development fund.

They also requested S R Patil to lead a delegation consisting Ministers, MLAs, MLCs and MPs coming under the board area, and petition Siddaramaiah.

MLAs A S Patil Nadahalli, C S Nadagouda, Shivalinge Gowda, J T Patil, Hullappa Meti and others took part in the deliberations.

The Malnad board meeting, which was held at the same venue in the afternoon hours, was attended by most of the MLAs and Ministers. They also demanded increase in the allocation, and adopted a resolution on the similar line (as passed in the Bayalaseeme board meeting.)

Ministers Ramanath Rai, Vinaya kumar Sorake, H S Pahadev Prasad and Abhaya Chandra Jain, legislators such as K G Bopaiah, C T Ravi, Sunil Kumar, Feroz Sait, Shivanna, B B Shivappa, Madhusudhan participated.