Release Rs 432 lakh to upgrade NH in Udupi: DV

The State government is disappointed by the Centres gesture

 
D V Sadananda Gowda

Speaking to the reporters here on Wednesday, he said that the amount will be utilised for filling up the potholes and asphalting the damaged NH passing through the district but unfortunately Centre has not been paying heed to the demand of the State.

He informed that the administration had sent the proposal in July last but no action has been taken up by the Centre for release of the funds. He said that the Centre has also failed to sanction funds for the Rs 16 crore proposal sent by the government last year for the repair of the National Highway in the district, he said.

He said that the State government disappointed by the apathy shown by the Centre, had released Rs 16 crore for the repair work of the national highways last year for the State, of which Rs 2 crore had been released to Udupi district, he added.

“If Centre fails to reply positively on the demand within 15 days, then the party with the support of public, party workers and elected representatives would take up repair works on its own,” he said.

He ridiculed that the central observers’ team which visited the district recently has instructed the district administration to send proposal to the Centre to release funds from Flood Relief Funds (FRF) and not to release any funds from Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) for road repair.

Replying a query, he said that the State unit had sent its opinion recommending removal of the tainted minister Sudhakar based on the chargesheet filed by the CBI against him. Besides, it also recommended Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to take suitable steps in this regard, he said.

He said that Minister of State for Railways K H Muniyappa recently had stated that the demand for dropping the decision to extend the Bangalore-Mangalore train service to Kannur in Kerala was not wise as the Indian Railway service was not limited to Karnataka alone.

The minister had also assured that express train from Bangalore to Mangalore would remain as express train till Mangalore and from Mangalore to Kannur it would be made to run as passenger train, he said.

He said that the minister had also indirectly assured that the service of the day train between Bangalore and Mangalore would be extended to Kundapur and Karwar.
MLC Kota Srinivas Poojary, Shymala Kunder, Gujjadi Prabhakar Nayak and others were present.