Preparations for winter session of the Karnataka legislature in the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi are nearing completion. On Friday, workers were cleaning offices, steps and corridors and laying makeshift roads inside the premises of the venue.
Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil held a meeting of officials on Thursday, asking them to ensure the session goes on smoothly. The district administration has formed 11 sub-committees to oversee preparations in various areas like accommodation, food, security, traffic and others.
Food arrangements
Mr. Patil said that the legislators and Ministers would be served food in the banquet hall. All others, including journalists, marshals, and officials would be served in the basement dining hall. Drivers and other workers will be provided food in the lawns. The general public can have food in the canteens in the premises.
The district administration has reserved 2,000 rooms in 75 hotels for legislators, officers, police, staff and journalists. Around 5,000 police personnel have been deputed to the session, police commissioner S.N. Sidramappa said. They started work from Friday.
Police accomodations
To accommodate the police personnel, German tents have been arranged for their stay during the session near the SVS Halga. In fact, due to the sheer number of officers involved, a massive township consisting of four large German tents has been constructed to provide suitable accommodation. Separate townships with German tents will be put up in 15 various places to house the police.
As many as 1,800 will be housed near the Suvarna Soudha, around 600 at the Macche KSRP Training Center, 300 at the Kangrali Training Center, 150 near Sambra Airport, and the remaining personnel will be housed in Bhutaramanahatti Veerabhadreshwar Temple, Shahapur Temple, and the Police Training Center at Khanapur.
The tents are water proof and are equipped with hot water supply, beds, blankets, pillows, and bed sheets. Power supply with lights, mobile charging and other facilities will be provided.
Satish Jarkiholi, Minister for Public Works, the ministry responsible for maintenance of the Suvarna Soudha, said that the venue will be illuminated round the year, as per the orders of the Speaker U.T. Khader. The Speaker has also announced that all the 300 legislators will plant saplings in their names.
Meanwhile, members of various organisations hope that the session will result in some meaningful discussions about the problems affecting the people.
The coordination committee of Kannada organisations has asked the government to discuss the border issue and its implications and the shifting of state-level offices to the Suvarna Soudha. “We have also asked the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to declare on the floor of the house, that Belagavi is the second capital of the state,” Ashok Chandaragi, convenor of the committee, said.
Sidagouda Modagi, Bharatiya Krishik Samaj and Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha leader, has asked the State government to take steps to resolve farmers issues. He has asked the State government to announce a higher price for sugarcane, ten hours of uninterrupted power supply to irrigation pump sets, and immediate drought relief. He has submitted a list of demands that include setting up of a government engineering college and an incubation centre in the VTU premises in Belagavi, expansion of the scope of the S. Nijalingappa Sugar Research Institute to include extension of new technologies across the state and flood control in the Krishna basin.
Responding to a query by journalists in Bengaluru on Friday, Mr. Jarkiholi said, “Issues concerning northern Karnataka were seldom discussed in the winter session. However, we hope to take up some issues of northern Karnataka in this session.”
