Karnataka - Hassan   

Health services, roads will get priority: ZP CEO

HASSAN: Chief Executive Officer of Hassan Zilla Panchayat Shankarnarayan has said priority will be given to providing better health services to the people, good roads, education and drinking water supply.

Addressing presspersons here on Wednesday, he said he would work towards improving education infrastructure in rural areas.

Mr. Shankarnarayan said all primary health centres and community health centres would be developed.

He said the Government had released Rs. 18 crore in 2007 for providing drinking water in villages, of which Rs. 15 crore had already been spent. An additional grant of Rs. 7 crore had now been released, he added.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) was yet to take off in the district, Mr. Shankarnarayan said, although the Union Government had released Rs. 150 crore towards its implementation. The only project taken up under the scheme was at Merculi village in Hassan taluk, with an outlay of Rs. 3 lakh.

Mr. Shankarnarayan said a plan was being devised on how to implement the programme.

He said many people felt that the wages (Rs. 74 a day) offered was meagre and that it should be enhanced. No machines would be used in any of the projects, he added. Desilting of tanks was a major project to be undertaken, he said.

Mr. Shankarnarayan said he had directed all employees of the zilla panchayat to reside at their place of work. When his attention was brought to the fact that some engineers were travelling every day between Hassan and Mysore, resulting in the work being hit, he said action would be taken.

Mr. Shankarnarayan said he would order an inquiry into the working of the Nirmithi Kendra wherein Rs. 67 lakh was released for harvesting rainwater, besides conducting education programmes in villages.

He said separate kitchens would be constructed in all schools where the “Bisi Oota” programme was in force.

Journalists’ association president Shivananda Tagadur, Its secretary Prasanna Kumar and treasurer Jagadish were present.

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