Karnataka Cabinet approves Rs 488 crore for elevated corridor in Bengaluru

Works on an elevated corridor at Varthur, costing Rs 488.14 crore, received administrative approval from the Cabinet on Thursday.

Briefing reporters, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said that the Cabinet approved to extend the length of the 100-feet wide corridor from the existing 1.3 km to 1.92 km.

The Cabinet also granted approval for Rs 287 crore for the SVAMITVA project – the drone-based agriculture and urban property survey.

The funds will be used to either add drones for the project or for an aerial survey, he said.

The Central government has provided five drones to conduct surveys under SVAMITVA.

The state government is planning to add more drones to speed up the survey process, he said.

A decision to hand over 66.17-acre government land in villages of Yelahanka constituency to Bangalore Development Authority for Dr Shivaram Karanth Layout was also taken during the meeting. Though the proposal was to hand over around 400 acres of land, the government has decided to transfer only 66.17 acres of litigation-free land, Madhuswamy said.

The government also decided to release Rs 11.21 crore for setting up drinking water facilities at the IIT-Dharwad campus, which was part of the infrastructure commitment of the government for the institute.

The Cabinet also permitted the recruitment of veterinary doctors to Animal Husbandry Department. “There were 800 vacancies for veterinary doctors. The department will appoint 400 doctors,” he said.

The government also approved Rs 97 crore to set up 6,500 smart classes in 430 first grade colleges, 14 engineering colleges and 87 government colleges, the minister said.

A decision to merge Karnataka State Forest Development Corporation Limited, Karnataka State Forest Industrial Corporation Limited and Karnataka Cashew Development Corporation Limited was cleared by the Cabinet.

Inmates’ release

The Cabinet also decided to release 166 prisoners facing life term sentences for good behaviour.

Among other decisions of the Cabinet were Rs 93.27 crore for free uniforms for students in class 1 to 10, under Vidya Vikas Yojana, Ra 10.52 crore for a fishermen’s jetty near Udyavar, Udupi district, Rs 75 crore for a silk market at Ramanagara, Rs 92.81 crore to provide basic facilities for devotees at Chamundeshwari temple, Mysuru and Rs 165 crore for a lake-filling project in Gurumitkal constituency, Yadgir district.

On absorbing candidates of the controversial 2011 batch, he said that a decision will be taken after discussion in the houses of the legislature in the upcoming session.

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