Karnataka - Tumkur   

Govt. urged to execute Netravati project

Staff Correspondent

Congress leaders want Tumkur district to be brought under the ambit of Article 371

TUMKUR: Congress leaders of Tumkur district on Saturday accused the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), L.K. Advani, of having prevented backward districts in the State from being given special status under Article 371 of the Constitution.

V.S. Ugrappa, MLC and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) General Secretary; S. Shafi Ahmed, KPCC Secretary; S.P. Muddahanume Gowda, Tumkur DCC President; H.S. Hemanthkumar, DCC Secretary; and G.S. Basavaraju, former MP, told presspersons here that the National Democratic Alliance Government, in which Mr. Advani was the Deputy Prime Minister, had turned down the State Government's proposal to bring Gulbarga, the `most backward' district in the State, under Article 371.

The Congress leaders also accused Mr. Advani and H.N. Ananth Kumar, MP, of trying to prevent Tumkur district being brought under Article 371 to expedite the implementation of the Netravati diversion project.

They said the committee headed by D.M. Nanjundappa formed to study regional imbalances had categorised Tumkur as the second `most backward' district in the state.

NDC meeting

At a meeting of the National Development Council in New Delhi in June, they said, the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, had proposed that 12 backward districts — five in the Hyderabad Karnataka region and seven in the Bombay Karnataka region — be brought under Article 371. Tumkur district was, however, left out. "Some top bureaucrats are responsible for the fiasco," the Congress leaders said.

They quoted Mr. Singh as having told them in a meeting with them in Bangalore on Friday that the anomaly will be rectified by sending a separate proposal to the Centre on according special status to Tumkur district under Article 371.

Delegation

They said Mr. Singh also offered to lead a delegation from Tumkur district to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, on the matter.

The Centre may have to amend the Constitution to include 13 districts in Karnataka under the provisions of Article 371, they said. The Centre could also form a development board or authority to oversee the development of these districts.

The Congress leaders said Mr. Dharam Singh had agreed to take steps to expedite the aerial survey for the Netravati diversion project.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Govt. urged to execute Netravati project

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu