Highlighting the disparities between Kalyana Karnataka and the rest of Karnataka, especially the South and the coastal regions, on the development front, All-India Congress Committee (AICC) president M. Mallikarjun Kharge appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to pay adequate attention for the development of Kalyana Karnataka.
“You [Mr. Siddaramaiah] have allocated ₹5,000 crore to the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board [KKRDB]. Mere allocation of funds is not sufficient. You need to ensure that the entire amount is properly spent for the development of the region. Files move from here and get stuck there [in Bengaluru] without approval. The government then doesn’t release the remaining amount if the released amount is not spent. For the entire amount to be spent, you need to have regular review and get the works done,” Mr. Kharge said.
He was addressing a public meeting at N.V. Grounds in Kalaburagi on Saturday where the Gruha Jyothi scheme, one of the five guarantees of the Congress, was formally launched by Mr. Siddaramaiah.
Mr. Kharge recalled his 11-month period as Railway Minister in the United Progressive Alliance government and the way he had made complete use of the short period to get the maximum work done for the country, especially Karnataka and Kalyana Karnataka.
“As Railway Minister for 11 months, I brought crores of rupees and made proper plans and persuasion to spend the entire amount. I started 37 new trains. How was it possible? Somebody should chase files,” he said.
Obliquely referring to Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Mr. Siddaramaiah, Mr. Kharge said that people from Kanakapura and Mysuru, who were within 150 km of Bengaluru, would get the maximum and people who were a thousand km away, would get leftover.
“There are four-lane highways and even eight-lane highways. Mysuru, the hometown of Mr. Siddaramaiah, has a 10-lane highway to connect to Bengaluru. We, in Kalyana Karnataka, don’t have proper two-lane highways,” Mr. Kharge said.
“It is like a buffet. Those who come first get sufficient meals and those at the tail end would get little or nothing. We are at the tail-end of the line. If there are any development programmes to be implemented in the State, let them begin from this region. It is the region that has always given you more than 50% of the seats,” Mr. Kharge said.
Stressing the importance of education and health in development, Mr. Kharge also highlighted the pathetic condition of government schools in the region.
“In most of the government schools, there are no sufficient teachers. Especially, there is a severe shortage of English, Science, and Mathematics teachers. Those who are financially sound will send their children to private schools. The poor don’t have the ability to pay private school fees. We need to build more schools and provide enough teachers. Otherwise, we will continue to be at the bottom of the human development index grid as usual,” Mr. Kharge said.
In his response, Mr. Siddaramaiah promised to have a proper and regular review on the progress of works taken up under the KKRDB and assured to get entire amount spent in the current financial year.
“We will have regular reviews and ensure that the entire ₹5,000 crore allocated to KKRDB is spent. If you require more after spending the entire amount, send me the supplement proposal and I will approve it also,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
