BELGAUM: The State Government is considering holding a legislature session and Cabinet meeting outside Bangalore once a year, Revenue Minister Jagdish Shettar has said.

He was speaking to presspersons on his return from Khanapur-Kankumbi where he had gone to ensure proper arrangements for the function organised to inaugurate work on the Kalsa-Banduri nala diversion scheme by Chief Minister H.D. Kumarswamy on Friday.

He said the Government took the decision to hold the legislature session in Belgaum with the objective of addressing specific issues pertaining to development in border areas of the State. The Government was concerned about the aspirations of people of in the backward areas of Hyderabad-Karnataka region and southern parts of the State and was therefore thinking of holding sessions of legislature and Cabinet meeting in such areas at least once a year.

However, there was no change in the decision to construct a Vidhan Soudha building in Belgaum, he added.

Kalsa-Banduri nala

The Minister defended the decision of the Government to start the work on the scheme, which had been kept in abeyance by the Centre for about four years. He said there was nothing illegal in starting the works which would be taken up from Friday.

He said if the move raised legal complications, the Government was prepared to protect the interests of people. The Government was not taking up work for creating irrigation facilities but to provide drinking water to the water-starved cities and towns of Hubli-Dharwad, Bagalkot, Gadag and Belgaum.

He said the Centre continued to keep the scheme under abeyance despite repeated requests from the State to clear it.

Goa, which raised objections to the scheme forcing the Centre to keep it abeyance (when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was Prime Minister) failed to attend any of the meetings convened by the Centre to resolve the row, he said.

He said elected representative from Belgaum, Dharwad, Gadag and Bagalkot district would be participating in the foundation-stone laying function near Kankumbi on Friday.

Mr. Shettar inspected the arrangements being made for the special legislature session to be held in Belgaum from September 25 and was satisfied with the progress.

He was confident that all the facilities would be ready by Saturday.

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