Session: Industry demands better deal for Hyderabad-Karnataka region

Kalaburgi: With Hyderabad Karnataka having been long neglected, not many seem to believe that a Cabinet meeting here will change things for the better any time soon.

Noting that the region had gained little from the  previous Cabinet meetings held in Kalaburgi during the last BJP government in the state, former chairman of the Hyderabad Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HKCCI), Umakanth Nigudagi, says its time to change this and the present government must carry forward the schemes announced by the last.

“For example, there is no sign yet of the Integrated Tur Dal Park, which was announced by Mr Jagadish Shettar at a cost of Rs 30 crore. The government must make sure that such schemes are implemented. Moreover ministers, who have not bothered to visit Kalaburgi so far, must be told to do so,” he stresses, adding that the HKCCI wants immediate release of special grants for the region and Kalaburgi  declared a B-city.

BJP leader and MLC Amarnath Patil strongly disagrees with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah that the Cabinet meetings held by his party when in office in Kalaburgi were a mere eyewash. “Its not true that no allocations were made for the programmes announced at the Cabinet meetings held by our government. Governance is a continuous process and Mr Siddaramaiah cannot shrug off responsibility and not release funds for the programmes we had announced,” he contends.

In fact, the BJP has decided to stage a protest in Kalaburgi on Friday while the Cabinet meeting is underway to demand that the Chief Minister execute projects like the Suvarna Grama Yojana launched by its government in the state to help the region’s development.