Give us Vidharba’ like package: MLA

Shyam Sundar Vattam

Bengaluruing BJP MLA A.S. Patil Nadahalli has urged the state government to announce a special package on the lines of the package declared for Vidharba, for the overall development of North Karnataka. He also wanted a separate development board to be established for the development of the region.

Participating in a debate on ‘problems of North-Karnataka region’ in the Assembly on Friday, he said injustice had been meted out to the region in the fields of education, health and housing. People in North Karnataka are not demanding international airports or national highways but only basic facilities. Many people who migrated due to the Corona pandemic have not returned home yet. The duty of the government is to provide health and housing facilities to the needy, he said.

Patil also said the N-K region has been discriminated against in development and that must be set right by constituting a committee of experts to set right injustice and recommend to the government to address this on priority since the state budget would be presented within the next three months.
Intervening, Speaker Vishveshwar Hegde Kageri said the expert committee was not required since the government has the report of the Dr.D.M.Nanjundappa committee on regional imbalance. Nadahalli however asserted that injustice has been done and added that he was ready to provide documents to prove his statement failing which he would resign. “I wanted to know where the money which had been reserved for N-K development has gone? We are denied power if they talk about N-K development. Keeping quiet all these years because of the fear of not getting tickets to contest the elections, had resulted in all this injustice. Our concern is only development of this region”.

The BJP MLA said it was high time politicians stopped their ‘drama’ and focus on improving the life of common people. There was a need for more historic personalities like Mayurva Varma, Immadi Pulakeshi, Nrupathunga, Krishnadevaraya, Kittur Rani Chennamma or Sangolli Rayanna to safeguard the interests of N-K region.

“We demand 50 per cent of Cabinet berths, a separate KPSC for N-K region and preference in boards and corporations,’’ he added. Another BJP MLA, Veerana Charantimath sought an increase in the height of Almatti Dam to 524 feet, sanction of a new medical college for Bagalkot and upgrading of Bagalkot City Municipal Council as a City Corporation.