The Hindu
Udupi Jan 24: Medical Education Minister V.S. Acharya said on Tuesday that a task force had been formed under K. Jayaprakash Hegde, MLA, to promote industrial development in Udupi district.
Briefing presspersons on the decisions taken at the tri-monthly Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) meeting here, Dr. Acharya said that the task force would submit its recommendations as to which industries were suitable for the district and where they should be located. It would see to it that there was minimum or no pollution by the industries, and limited displacement of people. A climate conducive to industrial development would be created, he said.
The task force would also decide on a spot for the construction of an airstrip near Udupi. The airstrip was necessary, as two major information technology companies had requested for it, Dr. Acharya said.
Units set up by these two IT majors were expected to create 5,000 jobs, he said. The task force would submit its report with in three months, he added.
The top officials of the district administration, including the Deputy Commissioner and the local MLA, would visit naxal-affected areas every Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to solve the problems of people, Dr. Acharya said. Short-term and long-term plans would be formulated to promote development in these areas, he added.
An action plan for land development for Koragas had been formulated. It had been decided to provide water to 11 villages. The villages were Hemmady, Tallur, Haklady, Yedthare, Paduvari, Gujjady, Koni, Byndoor, Trasi, Tegarse, and Ambalpady, he said. Plans had been made to supply water from the Varahi to Byndoor, Yedthare, Anagali, and Paduvari villages.
A special meeting of the Udupi Zilla Panchayat would be called within a week to discuss the water problem, Dr. Acharya said. A list of 1.25 lakh people below the poverty line had been prepared and BPL cards would be issued to them by February 15. Deputy Commissioner V. Ponnuraj and Chief Executive Officer of zilla panchayat P. Hemalatha were present.