Cong Promises Halt to Acquisition of Cultivable Lands, Concrete Roads to Villages

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Dec 16: With elections to the taluk and zilla panchayats in Karnataka underway, it is but natural that agriculture-related and rural issues should engage the attention of the electorate of local bodies  as well as the political parties.

The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), which is making a determined bid to prove that it still has its base among the rural voters, has become the first political party to release its manifesto in Bangalore on Thursday for this all important election in the state.

KPCC president Dr G Parameshwar, who along with Congress opposition leader in the assembly Siddaramaiah and his council counterpart Motamma, who released the manifesto at the state party headquarters has promised to put an end to the acquisition of fertile cultivable agricultural lands and also to provide concrete roads to villages.

The manifesto attacked the B S Yeddyurappa-led BJP regime for its various land scams and for its reckless acquisition of fertile and cultivable lands and deprive the farmers of their source of livelihood to the benefit of a few industrialists.

The Yeddyurappa regime’s decision of setting up a land bank by acquiring 1 lakh acres of agricultural lands all over the state in order to help a few speculative investors and industrialists, who were lured during the Global Investors Meet, was nothing but a policy to destroy the future of farming community.

Out of the 1.47 lakh kms of rural roads in the state, the manifesto said barely 45,000 kms were concrete roads forcing the rural masses to fend for themselves without proper roads.

Toilets for all rural houses

The Congress party would focus on laying concrete roads to all villages in the State during the next five years by seeking grant of additional funds under the Prime Minister’s Grameena Sadak Yojana, the manifesto said pointing out that the Yeddyurappa regime had failed to properly utilise the huge Central grants under various schemes.

Another commitment of the Congress party, as per the manifesto, is ensuring that toilets are constructed in each rural house.

According to the 2001 census, there were 64 lakh houses in the state without a toilet. During the next five year period, the party is committed to constructing a toilet in each of the houses.

Setting up Grama Rakshana Dal in each village for ensuring harmony between various castes and communities at the village-level and prevention of  clashes between different castes and communities and help in ushering in peace is another promise in the manifesto.

In view of the large number shelterless people in the State, the party has promised to draw up a time-bound programme to construct 15 lakh houses in the State and also set up an Old Age Home at each hobli level.

Another major promise is purchase of agricultural implements like tractor and tiller for each gram panchayat so that poor farmers could use the same by paying a rent.

Over 3,500 candidates for ZP & 10,000 for TP seats file papers

Incidentally, over 3,500 candidates filed their nominations in elections to 375 zilla panchayat seats in 12 districts in the first phase on December 26.

The ZPs and TPs that would go to polls in the first phase are Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural, Ramagaram, Chitradurga, Kolar, Chickaballapur, Shimoga, Tumkur, Bidar, Bellary, Raichur, and Yadgiri.

Over 10,000 candidates filed nominations for 1341 TP seats in 12 districts.
The last date for filing of nomination papers was December 15 while December 18 is the last day for withdrawal of nominations.