BJP launches agitation against proposed toll plaza on Karkala – Padubidri highway

coastaldigest.com web desk

October 6, 2018

Udupi, Oct 6: Activists of Bharatiya Janata Party led by Karkala MLA VSunil Kumar staged a protest against the proposed toll plaza on Karkala - Padubidri State Highway Number 1 at Belman in Karkala taluk on Friday.

Belman is a junction, where roads coming from Shirva, Karkala- Nitte, Mundkur and Padubidri meet. The people from the surrounding villages visit Belman often for different reasons. They fear that they would have to pay toll every time they drive to Belman and return.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Kumar said there was no point in the Public Works Department deciding to collect toll from vehicles at Belman. The toll plaza was expected to come up near the Government Pre-University College at Belman on the Karkala- Padubidiri State Highway and become functional from October 15.

A vehicle coming from Mangaluru to the educational hub of Nitte in Udupi district would have to pay toll at three places – Surathkal, Hejmady, and at the proposed toll gate at Belman, he said.

The foundation stone for the four-laning of the 28-km Padubidri– Karkala stretch of the State Highway Number 1 was taken up in 2012, when the BJP was in power.

The entire amount for the construction of this stretch had been borne by the State government. “How then can toll be imposed on vehicles on this stretch? The government is imposing toll to shore up revenues as its exchequer is empty. The government should withdraw its decision to collect toll here,” Mr. Kumar said.

Reshma Uday Shetty, Uday Kotian, Sumit Shetty, BJP Zilla Panchayat members, Malini J. Shetty, President of Karkala Taluk Panchayat, were among those present at the protest.

Meanwhile, voluntary organizations from 27 villages surrounding Belman village will stage a protest on the same issue at Belman on October 7.

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Dear Sunil, Speak at Vidana Soudah, protest infront of CM House. You are local representative in State Assembly.Stop double Game. Where is CongRSS.

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‘Have letter, next step is...’: MUDA on Siddaramaiah’s wife’s offer to return plots

News Network

October 1,2024

Mysuru: The Mysuru land authority at the centre of a financial and political storm - involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and alleged losses of ₹ 45 crore to the state - has received an offer of restitution from his wife, the urban development body's Commissioner, AN Raghunandan said.

"I am in possession of a letter written by Siddaramaiah's wife regarding her intention to return 14 plots (of land). The Chief Minister's son, Yatindra Siddaramaiah, came to our office and delivered the letter. We will take legal advice for the next step..." he told reporters in Mysuru.

Mr Raghunandan also confirmed anti-corruption officials from the city's Lokayukta branch had written seeking cooperation in its inquiry into the charges against the Chief Minister.

He said the Mysuru Urban Development Authority, or MUDA, "will cooperate with the investigation".

The Enforcement Directorate, however, have not reached out as yet, Mr Raghunandan said. The ED, a federal agency, has filed a money laundering case against Siddaramaiah.

There have also been calls for the CBI, another federal agency, to investigate charges against the Chief Minister, but that appears unlikely now given the Karnataka government has withdrawn general consent for its operations in the state. Law Minister HK Patil made the announcement last week.

He ruled out any link with demands for the Chief Minister to be investigated by the CBI, which reports to the BJP-led central government and the ruling Congress and other opposition parties have claimed is being used by that party to target rival leaders, particularly before elections.

On Monday - three days after the Lokayukta filed a case against the Chief Minister, and hours after the ED launched its probe- Siddaramaiah's wife said she had planned to give up the land earlier but was advised against it the allegations against her husband are "politically motivated".

But now, she said, she had made up her mind as "no house, plot, or wealth is more important than my husband's honor, dignity, and peace of mind". She also said the decision was hers alone; "... I am not aware of my husband's opinion on this matter, nor do I concern myself with what my son thinks".

And, in a comment seen as a calculated swipe at the opposition BJP, which is leading calls for the Chief Minister's resignation, his wife also made an emotional appeal to "all political parties and the media" to "please not drag women of political families into the controversy to settle political scores".

Investigative action against the Chief Minister follows the Karnataka High Court quashing a challenge to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot's order sanctioning Siddaramaiah's prosecution.

Subsequently a trial court ordered framing of charges and directed the Lokayukta to complete the investigation within three months. The ED case was filed based on the Lokayukta FIR.

Siddaramaiah faces an inquiry into claims Parvathi was allotted 14 plots of land in an upmarket Mysuru area as compensation for land elsewhere - holding a far lower value - taken for infrastructure projects.

The Chief Minister has denied all charges and refused calls to resign.

He has been backed by the Congress and his deputy, DK Shivakumar, who is also the state unit boss, and also by members of his cabinet, including IT Minister Priyank Kharge. However, some within the Congress also want him to quit, such as former Assembly Speaker KB Koliwad.

"I will fight. I am not afraid of anything. We are ready to face the investigation. I will fight this legally," he said last week after the High Court had quashed his challenge to the Governor's sanction.

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