DAVANGERE: The Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, on Thursday asked the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda not to insist on abandoning the metro rail project. Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are waiting to get the project. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, has already written to the Union Government seeking the metro rail project for Chennai, he said.

Communication problem

Mr. Singh told presspersons here that the project is feasible in all respects. There might be a communication problem because of which Mr. Gowda is apprehensive about the project, he said, adding that he will either discuss the matter with Mr. Gowda or ask senior officials to apprise him about all aspects of the project.

The metro rail project will be implemented come what may, he said.

The State Government is keen on conducting elections to the taluk and zilla panchayats on time, he said. Some persons have filed writ petitions challenging the reservation pattern because of which the elections have been postponed. The Government will seek certain clarifications from the Advocate General, and based on his recommendations, the Government will take appropriate action, he said.

The Cabinet will soon take a decision whether to allow the panchayats to function or appoint administrators in the event of postponement of the elections.

Asked who is likely to become president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), Mr. Singh said that the KPCC general body meeting will be held on June 27 and it might decide whom to recommend as the next KPCC president.

He pleaded ignorance about a question whether the Governor of Maharashtra, S.M. Krishna, will return to State politics and said it is news to him.

He dismissed the suggestion that the defeat of the Congress in the recent Chamarajpet Assembly and Shimoga Lok Sabha byelections is an indication of the performance of the coalition Government.

He said the Congress had improved a lot in Shimoga going by the number of votes its candidate secured. Mr. Bangarappa won the seat by a reduced margin, he said.

A joint affidavit will soon be filed in the Supreme Court by the Government and the managements of private professional colleges on seat sharing, Mr. Dharam Singh said and added that the Government is committed to protecting the interests of students.

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