'Cent per cent solution to Jamma Baane issue'

Home Minister R Ashok announced that he would immediately order shifting of RTO office in Madikeri so that General K S Thimmaiah’s residence can be developed as a memorial. The RTO office is at present being functions at the residence of the General.

Speaking as the chief guest at the silver jubilee celebrations of Kodava Samaja at Pannampet in South Kodagu on Saturday, he said though the land where General Thimmaiah’s residence exists has been sold to the Transport department, the order to shift RTO office will be passed immediately, as the Chief Minister has already announced development of the residence as memorial. A sum of Rs 1 crore has also been announced for the same in the budget, he said.

Meanwhile, he also said that the government is committed to solve the long pending jamma baane problem in Kodagu. “The people of Kodagu need not have any doubt in this regard,” he assured.

“When the government was about to make announcement in this regard, Dr V S Acharya and Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri appealed to include the land problems of Udupi and Uttara Kannada respectively. Since the Chief Minister agreed to include the same, there is a slight delay,” he said and told the audience that the problem would be solved at any cost.

Stating that the decision of giving ministerial berth to MLA M P Appacchu Ranjan lies with the chief minister, he said he can not make any assurance in this regard.

However, he said that he would support his case and would also recommend the same to the chief minister.

Presiding over the programme, Assembly  Speaker K G Bopaiah stressed the need to think over ways and means to safeguard the tradition and culture of Kodagu. “There is a need to properly guide the youth so that they don’t take wrong steps,” he said.

MLA M P Appacchu Ranjan said that ever since the BJP government came to power, a lot of funds are being released for the development of roads. 90 per cent of the roads would be asphalted by May end, he said.