JOIN USCongress plays heritage, green and yoga cards
Declaration of the area around Chamundi Hill in the City as buffer zone, a new policy to conserve the heritage structures of the City, promoting Mysore as Yoga centre, impetus to market geographical indicator (GI) products of Mysore at international level and multi-level car parking lots, will be in the offing if Congress comes to power, or so it claims.
The party, which released its manifesto on Saturday, has made these promises to the City, which is the biggest City Corporation going to polls on March 7.
Congress not only wants to declare the rich green surroundings of Chamundi as a buffer zone, but it also aims to develop it on the lines of the botanical garden in Ooty.
As Mysore goes by the sobriquets, ‘heritage city’ and ‘cultural capital’, the party plans to bring out a new policy for the conservation of heritage places and constitute a committee of experts to execute the same.
Grants for organising cultural programmes and creation of a network of cultural ambassadors, will form part of its contribution to the cultural sector.
Congress also intends to make the City a centre of ‘good health’ by giving prominence to promotion of the City as a Yoga center.
Of the 28 GI tag products in the country, nine such products come from Mysore alone. They are- Mysore Pak, Mysore Agarbathi, Mysore Veelyedele (Betel leaves), Mysore Silk, Mysore Rosewood inlay works, Nanjangud Rasabale, Mysore Sandal, Mysore Mallige (Jasmine) and Mysore style of traditional art.
To address the mounting parking woes, the party intends to construct 25 multi-level parking lots, besides creating dedicated lots for two-wheelers and four-wheelers on the main roads of the City.
It wants to shift the existing sewage treatment plant at Sewage Farm 10 km away from the City, where it plans to bifurcate it into four plants.
Other promises include Stree Shakti Bhavan in every Assembly constituency; enhancement of funds allotted for the distribution of nutritious food for pregnant women from existing Rs one lakh to Rs three lakh; re-construction of Devaraja, Mandi and V V Markets aside from building markets and mutton market in different localities.
Restoration of play grounds, development of burial grounds, disaster management cells in every ward, pet cemetery, mandatory registration of pets, day care centres for senior citizens, restoration of lakes and raja kaaluve (feeder channels), development of parks and ensuring health for all, are the other assurances made.
The manifesto was released by Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah, Mysore and Kodagu MP A H Vishwanath and Narasimharaja MLA Tanveer Sait.