VISION FOR GROWTH: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy addressing the gathering at the Independence Day celebrations in Bangalore on Tuesday. — Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

BANGALORE: To commemorate the golden jubilee of the formation of Karnataka, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday announced a "Suvarna Vasathi" (golden housing) scheme for providing houses to the poor and a "Suvarna Gramodaya" scheme to bring about a qualitative change in the life of rural people.

He utilised his first Independence Day address after hoisting the national flag on Field Marshal Mankeshaw Parade Ground to announce the two schemes.

Mr. Kumaraswamy said that in the light of the spiralling land values in and around Bangalore, the Government had formulated a group housing plan to provide houses to the poor. It would be implemented with the participation of landowners. A new policy would be announced to develop residential layouts. The Bangalore Development Authority, which would develop the layout, would allot sites to land owners as compensation for acquisition of their lands, he said.

In his 24-page address in Kannada, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the Government was thinking of creating "Greater Bangalore" by merging seven city municipal councils and a town municipal council with the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike for their overall development. A final plan would be announced in two months, he said. A survey work had been taken up to set up five satellite towns in Bidadi, Ramangara, Sathanur, Solur and Nandagudi. About 500 acres of land would be set aside for forming 50,000 sites by BDA. The sites would be allotted to socially and economically backward families, he said.

A massive housing programme to provide houses to 30,000 slum dwellers would be inaugurated soon. A plan had been prepared for the development of 219 slums in Bangalore with the participation of private parties and it would be launched on a pilot basis in four slums, he said.

To mark the golden jubilee celebrations of the formation of the State, the "Suvarna Vasanthi" scheme had been formulated. Under the scheme, 50,000 houses would be built. One thousand houses and a modern commercial complex would be built in each district headquarters and 500 houses in each taluk.

A mega shopping mall and a convention centre would be built at Yelahanka and Suryanagar colonies in Bangalore. Work on these projects would be taken up on a time-bound basis, he said. Housing was a major problem, and the Government had decided to build three lakh houses this year, he said.

Mr. Kumaraswamy said the Government had given serious thought to all-round development of villages. To ensure better life for rural people, the "Suvarna Gramodaya" scheme would be launched on Karnataka Rajyotsava Day at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,000 crore, he said. Under the scheme, 1,000 villages would be identified and developed as "suvarna gramas" by providing basic facilities in them. The scheme envisaged providing a clean environment and development activities in horticulture, agriculture, industrial and cultural fields. The villages would get urban facilities in rural areas as envisaged by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. The details of the scheme would be announced soon, Mr. Kumaraswamy said.

Transparent administration, health for all, food, housing, education, basic facilities and generation of employment were the main goals of the Government, he added. To provide social justice to all sections of society, a new reservation policy would be formulated.

To address the problems of educated handicapped, Mr. Kumaraswamy sought active participation of voluntary organisations and private companies. To attract investment, he said investors' meets would be organised in cities other than Bangalore.

For the benefit of craftsmen, artisan townships would be set up at Nargund in Dharwad district, Ramadurg in Belgaum district and Hoovina Hadagali in Bellary district, he said. In a gesture of goodwill to the dwindling number of freedom fighters, Mr. Kumaraswamy announced that the Government had decided to increase the monthly honorarium paid to them from this year.

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