'Govt committed to remove regional imbalance'

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said residential schools will be started in all hobli centres in the State this year.

He was speaking after inaugurating various development works and laying foundation stone for development works, taken up at a cost of Rs 260.11 crore, in the town on Tuesday.

Siddaramaiah said the government has been according priority to school education.
He said the government would chalk out programmes to increase the groundwater table in the State. More than 1,200 water bodies would be rejuvenated at an estimated cost of Rs 5,000 crore, he added.

The government is committed to remove regional imbalance. Nanjundappa Committee report had recommended the government to spend Rs 36,000 crore in eight years for the purpose. Accordingly, the funds are being utilised to ensure that there is no regional imbalance in the State. The government is committed for integrated development of the State, he stated.

The chief minister said the government has given priority to irrigation projects. In the last two-and-a-half years, a sum of Rs 33,000 crore has been utilised for irrigation projects. The government has formulated programmes aimed at social justice in the society, he added.

MLA G H Srinivas appealed to the chief minister to sanction a polytechnic, a veterinary college at Amrut Mahal Kaval, a cold storage centre for onion and potato growers at Shivani.

Series of protests
Bharatiya Janata Party workers, under the leadership of former MLA D S Suresh, staged a protest alleging that the chief minister is inaugurating and laying foundation for the works that were either inaugurated or laid foundation when the BJP was in power in the State.

Bhadravathi Mysore Paper Mills (MPM) also workers staged a protest on the occasion.
Alleging that MPM Managing Director Harsha Gupta is conspiring to privatise MPM, the workers said and charged that more than 1,100 labourers have been removed from the job. No facilities had been provided to the labourers.

Permission was denied to MPM workers’ family members who wanted to submit a memorandum to the chief minister.

Condemning the attitude of the chief minister for failing to receive their grievances, they blocked the road and raised slogans against him.

Police training centre
Later, speaking after inaugurating a police training school at Gedlehalli and various development works in Kadur, Siddaramaiah said, “I have a great respect to Kadur. I will respond to the development of Kadur constituency.”

“The police personnel require additional technical training when the cyber crimes are increasing.Therefore, a training centre will modern facilities is started at Kadur,” he said.
MLA Y S V Datta said a permanent irrigation project should be taken up in Kadur. The government should allow Kadur to tap water from Bhadra river.  It should also sanction a women’s college, an engineering college to Kadur along with a rural and traffic police station, he urged the chief minister.