From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Jan 9:The Siddaramaiah regime is firm in its decision of asking the Bengaluru turf club to move out of the city with horses, punters and lock-stock and barrel.

"We will convey the State Government’s firm resolve to the Supreme Court, which is hearing a case in this regard after the High Court upheld the state government's stand,’’ Karnataka’s Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra said in Bengaluru on Friday.

Speaking to reporters on the decisions taken at the state cabinet meeting, he said the Supreme Court had sought state government's stand over the issue ahead of the next hearing on Janauary 13.

"We have decided to stand firm on relocating the race course. It should be moved out of the city,’’ Jayachandra said.

He said the State Cabinet also approved a project for improving civic infrastructure in 6 or 7 small towns around Bengaluru with assistance from the Asian Development Bank.

Named as 'City Cluster Development Project,' it is being prepared by the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority.

The State Cabinet approved the constituting an empowered committee and steering committee as part of the preparations to make it a reality.

The Committees would be headed by Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee.

In another decision, the State Cabinet resolved to implement a Tumkuru canal project under the upper Bhadra project to ensure irrigation facilities to 84,900 hectares in three semi-arid districts of Tumkauru,Chikkamagaluru and Chitradurga.

The Cabinet meeting has decided to utilise 29.90 tmcft of water under the ‘B’ scheme of the Bachawat Award.

The Upper Bhadra project was commenced in 2002-03 and it was confined only to the Chitradurga district alone.

The Tumakuru canal would ensure water to dry lands of Tarikere and Kadur in Chikkamagaluru, Hiriyur and Hosadurga in Chitradurga and Chikkanayakanahalli and Sira in Tumakuru. It would fill 131 tanks in three districts.

The entire Upper Bhadra proejct would ensure irrigation to 2.25 lakh hectares.

Jayachandra said the revised cost of the Upper Bhadra project is Rs 12,340 crore.