Governor Rameshwar Thakur on Friday requested the Members of Parliament to follow-up the proposals of the projects pending with the Centre and ensure that the requirements of Karnataka for its progress and development were met.

Addressing a meeting of MPs from the State held at Vidhana Soudha, Thakur sought the co-operation of the members in strengthening the hands of the administration and to ensure that overall development of the State and welfare of people were given a priority.

Thakur noted that PM Manmohan Singh during his visit to the State in August last year had reviewed the agriculture sector and Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram reviewed certain investment proposals which required inter-ministerial co-ordination at Delhi and follow-up by the State government also.

Review

Thakur said the Union Cabinet Secretary is scheduled to review pending proposals of the State on February 20 with Chief Secretary Sudhakar Rao and other senior officers. “I request the MPs to kindly follow-up these projects and ensure that the requirements of the State for its progress and development and for the welfare of its people are met,” the Governor said.

According to sources as many as 33 projects of six departments were discussed in detail with MPs and top officials of the Government.

These included six power projects, nine infrastructure, 13 public works, one urban development, two commerce and industries, and two higher education related projects.

As the upcoming Bangalore International Airport in Devanahalli would commence operations in March, road connectivity projects came up for discussion. The construction of second runway at the airport was also discussed.

Poor response

There was a poor response from MPs from the State to the meeting. The MPS who attended the meeting include Union Ministers M V Rajasekharan and K H Muniyappa, Ananth Kumar, B K Hari Prasad, Narasingrao Suryavamshi, Ramesh Jigajinagi, Tejaswini Ramesh, Prahlad Joshi, Manjunath Konnur, Suresh Angadi and Basanagouda Patil Yatnal.

The absence of H D Deve Gowda, S Bangarappa, Union Minister Oscar Fernandes, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Rahman Khan was conspicuous.

SOME ISSUES RAISED BY MPs

* State should pay its share of contribution for the Bangalore-Mysore railway line doubling project
* Shiradi Ghat road project should be completed soon
* Widen the entry points to Bangalore City
* Establish IIT in Hassan
* Open Central University in Gulbarga
* Expedite work on 400 MW hydro-electric project at nGundya and 4,000 MW thermal project at Tadadi