The Hindu : Karnataka News : Houses are ready, but where's the chief guest?

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Thursday, Jun 23, 2011
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Houses are ready, but where's the chief guest?

Girish Pattanashetti

Basapur is one of the flood-prone villages
in the district
Village leaders want Chief Minister to be at the handing over function, but he is busy

So near, yet so far:Two residents air their grievances over the delay in allotment of houses.

BASAPUR (DHARWAD DISTRICT): Hasansab Naikar (78) strongly believes that he will not be fortunate enough to spend his last years at the ‘new village' (or the new city as the Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa calls it) where residents of Basapur are being rehabilitated.

Though 370 houses have been constructed in the viallage, and roads have been laid and other infrastructure is in place, the residents of the village have not been allotted the houses. Strong winds that have been buffeting the region has damaged several window panes of the new houses.

Basapur in Navalgund taluk is one among the seven flood-prone villages in Dharwad district.

The Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP) had taken up the construction of the 370 houses and completed the work three months ago.

“The rain fury has not begun. Those who have vehicles can shift in case of an emergency. What can people like us do in such a situation? Despite having houses built for us, we again find ourselves in the same situation as last year,” said Lingavva Tollalli. “Though the house is too small for our family of eight, if they give us the key, we will move in immediately.”

Rachappa Savadi and Nagappa Yadravi are similarly placed.

“At the beginning of every month the village leaders say the new houses will be allotted. But it is yet to happen,” they chorus.

Basapur is not the only flood-prone village where house allotment has been delayed. In Arahatti village of the same taluk, there are almost 200 houses that are ready for occupation.

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Tahsildar of Navalgund taluk Vinayak Palankar admitted that there was a delay. “The village leaders insisted that Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and the Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari Sri Veerendra Heggade should be part of the handing over programme. A programme was fixed, but it was cancelled at the last minute,” he said.

Mr. Palankar said the taluk administration was ready with the allotment list but was waiting for the green signal from senior officials. He clarified that 420 houses were allotted in Kongawad, 100 in Gudisager village, 91 in Amaragol and 55 in Ahetti.

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