The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Gadi Horata Samiti calls rail bandh on March 23

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Gadi Horata Samiti calls rail bandh on March 23

Special Correspondent

Vatal Nagaraj

Bangalore: The Akhila Karnataka Gadi Horata Samiti, with the support of various Kannada organisations, will observe a 24-hour rail bandh across the State on March 23 to protest against what it termed the Union Government’s biased attitude towards the State in sanctioning new railway projects, releasing funds for development activities and according classical status to Kannada.

Samiti president and former MLA Vatal Nagaraj told presspersons here on Wednesday that the 2008-09 railway budget presented by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Tuesday had ignored the State’s interests. The Centre had been causing “gross injustice” to the State on various counts, he said.

The Union Ministers and the MPs representing the State in Parliament had failed to protect and advocate the State’s interests. It was unfortunate they did not make a case out of the status of railway projects in State in the past 20 years.

Instead of making concerted efforts with commitment for the development of State on the railway front the MPs had only attempted to draw the Centre’s attention towards the pending projects and funds in a haphazard manner hours before the budget was to be presented, he said. Although the budget promised new rail lines, extension of existing lines, increase in frequency, support for ongoing projects and gauge conversion, it had not touched about the long-pending proposed projects such as Chamarajanagar- Mettupalayam and electrification between Bangalore and Mysore, he said.

Hogenakkal

On the reported move of the Tamil Nadu Government to construct a reservoir across the Cauvery near Hogenakkal Falls for drinking water purposes, Mr. Vatal said that the move was wrong as the Supreme Court was yet to pronounce its stand on the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal’s final report. The samiti would write to the Centre and the bank authorities concerned in Japan, which is said to have agreed to finance the project, he added.

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