Rs 1,000 cr sought; dist awarded Rs 125 cr

The people of Mandya district who were expecting Rs 1,000 crore for the overall development of the district, were a disappointed lot on Friday.

They had to be content with the allocation of just Rs 125 crore, that was announced in the State budget, by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

The special package of Rs 120 crore announced for the rejuvenation of MySugar factory, which is a lifeline to thousands of farmers; announcement of ‘Organic jaggery park’ in the district, Rs two crore for development of Tipu Sultan memorial at Srirangapatna, and Rs one crore for the development of heritage towns, have come as a consolation.

It can be recalled that the elected representatives had appealed to the Chief Minister to earmark Rs 1,000 crore in the budget for the development of the district, during the platinum jubilee celebrations of Mandya district recently.

During the last budget, it was announced to allocate Rs 75 crore for the development of MySugar factory through Mysuru Minerals Limited. But, not a single rupee was released.

Siddaramaiah on Friday has also announced that funds will be set aside for the construction of Amrutha Bhavan named after Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, as part of the platinum jubilee celebrations.

He has also assured to upgrade the Brindavan Gardens at Krishnarajasagar Dam (KRS) to international standards.

Though he had assured of constituting a Cauvery Development Authority for the development of tourist places in the Cauvery basin last year, no works have begun so far.

Repair works on canals coming under KRS limits has been proposed, but there is no clarity regarding the same.

The CM has also set aside Rs 25 crore for the preparation of a detailed project report for the construction of balancing reservoir on the upstream of Mekedatu across Cauvery river, for which a Global Expression of Interest has been invited.

District in-Charge Minister Ambareesh had sought Rs 240 crore for the upgradation of Chikkadevaraya, Virija canals, Rs 700 crore for the development of roads, and Rs 50 crore for the rejuvenation of Pandavapura Sugar Factory. However, there is no clarity on the funds to be released for the same.