The Hindu : Karnataka News : Manmohan may visit drought-hit districts

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 04, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Manmohan may visit drought-hit districts

By Our Special Correspondent

By Our Special

Correspondent

JIDGA (GULBARGA), JULY 3. The Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, said today that he had invited the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, to visit the districts in the State where farmers had committed suicide owing to the loss of crops and burden of loans in the past three years.

Mr. Dharam Singh, who visited the famous Jidga Math to pay tribute at the "samadi" of Shivayogi Siddarameshwar Swamiji, who passed away recently, told The Hindu that he made this request to Dr. Manmohan Singh in view of his visit to Andhra Pradesh to meet families of farmers who committed suicide.

The Prime Minister had asked the Karnataka Government to provide details about the problems faced by farmers and promised to consider touring the State early, he added.

The Chief Minister said that on the advice of Dr. Singh, he had also met the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Prithviraj Chavan, and apprised him of the problems faced by farmers.

Referring to the special package announced by the Prime Minister to provide financial relief to the families of farmers who committed suicide in Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Dharam Singh said he would appeal to Dr. Manmohan Singh to extend a similar package for Karnataka.

Regional imbalances: To a question, the Chief Minister said he would take up with the Prime Minister the need for announcing a special package for the development of the backward regions of Karnataka to remove regional imbalances in development.

Whether the State Government would announce a special package for the development of Hyderabad Karnataka, which had been identified as "most backward," Mr. Dharam Singh said he would discuss the issue with the Deputy Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, who holds the Finance portfolio, and evolve a package.

Ministry expansion: He said that the expansion of the Ministry would be completed before the next Assembly session. But no member of the Congress from Gulbarga would be inducted as the "quota (for the district) is over.''

As far as the Janata Dal (S) was concerned, it was for the former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, and Mr. Siddaramaiah to decide who should be inducted in the Ministry from Gulbarga district, he added.

Airport: Mr. Dharam Singh said that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the construction of the international airport in Bangalore would be signed on Monday in Bangalore.

He said that the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation , Praful Patel, would sign the MoU with the private investor. The last hurdle, clearance from the Defence Ministry, was overcome after the recent visit and inspection by the Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee.

Mr. Dharam Singh said that the construction of Gulbarga airport would also be taken up shortly, and the State Government would provide the financial allocation required this year.

MPs' meeting: He said that a meeting of the State MPs had been convened in Bangalore on Monday to apprise them about the projects of the State pending with the Centre, and he would request them to raise the matter in Parliament and take it up with Ministries.

Mr. Dharam Singh said that one of the long-pending demands of the State Government — declaration of the Bidar-Srirangapatna State highway into a national highway — had been partially fulfilled. The Union Surface Transport Ministry had declared the 100-km stretch between Humnabad in Bidar district to Jewargi in Gulbarga district as a national highway. The Government has requested the Union Minister of State for Surface Transport, K.H. Muniyappa, to declare the roads from Bidar to Humnabad and from Jewargi to Hiriyur as national highways to provide a better link to Bangalore for the people of Gulbarga, Bidar, Raichur and Koppal districts.

On the pending railway projects, Mr. Dharam Singh said that the issue would be discussed at the MPs' meeting, and he would lead a delegation to meet the Railway Minister, Laloo Prasad Yadav.

Cauvery issue: To a question, Mr. Dharam Singh said he would meet the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J. Jayalalithaa, to explore the possibility of finding a permanent solution to the Cauvery issue outside the purview of the tribunal.

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