Roads laid, water supplied to villages: ZP member

Constituency watch: Ambale on development path

The Ambale Zilla Panchayat constituency near Chikkamagaluru-Beluru Highway has received several facilities in the last five years.

The constituency comprises Kartikere-Hariharadahalli, Ambale-Theguru, Ishwarahalli-Kalasapura and Muguluvalli-Marle Taluk Panchayat constituencies. It was reserved for the General category in the last election. M S Niranjan of BJP is the present  Zilla Panchayat member. The constituency this time is reserved for women belonging to Backward Class (A).

Ambale, Muguluvalli, Hariharadahalli, Marle, Kalasapura and Ishwarahalli Gram Panchayats are under this constituency. It has 26,000 voters and the population is 60,000.

According to the villagers, drinking water problem and bad roads were the main problems in the constituency. They said the elected representative has tried to solve these problems to some extent.

Niranjan said, “More than Rs 6 crore has been spent to provide drinking water to villages. Overhead tanks have been constructed at Gowdanahalli, Ambale, Muluguvalli, Sooranahalli, Dyavagowdanahalli, Oderahalli, Hanchihalli, Galihalli and Hariharadahalli and pipelines have been laid. More than Rs 25 lakh has been spent at Aradavahalli village allone to provide drinking water supply. We have supplied water to most of the villages.”

He said the constituency has received Rs 80 lakh grants under Public Instruction Department, Agriculture, Health and Animal Husbandry Departments. Concrete roads have been laid at most of the villages. Grants have also been provided for the construction of school and anganwadi buildings, he added.

Niranjan said he could not get more and new grants as the Zilla Panchayat president’s post was reserved for women.The villagers said borewells have been dug to tackle drinking water woes. But the underground water level is decreasing.

A resident of Ambale said, “Some development places have been taken up and implement. Roads have been laid at some place while at many others crushed stones have been . Still a lot needs to be done.”

 The villagers have sought asphaltation of Byrapura, Sooranahalli, Hanumanahalli and Chekkere tank bund roads and Hiremagaluru-Ambale road.

Gurushanthappa, a resident of Muguluvalli, said, “We cannot expect complete development works from the grants released for Zilla Panchayat constituencies.The elected representative  has utilised the regular grants properly. The Zilla Panchayat member did not show the enthusiasm to get more grants under new projects. But he has responded to our problems, without considering party affiliations.”