Udupi-Chikkamagaluru LS seat: Villagers in Banakal hobli threaten to boycott polls

coastaldigest.com web desk

March 19, 2019

Mudigere, Mar 19: People from a remote village in Banakal hobli of Mudigere taluk which falls under Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency, have decided to boycott the general elections as their long-pending demands for basic amenities have not been met.

The residents of Chegu near Banakal town have put up a banner disclosing their plan to attract the attention of the district administration. The villagers have been demanding road connectivity to Banakal.

“The village comes under Banakal Gram Panchayat. The road to the village has not been asphalted for the last two decades. The road is filled with potholes, inconveniencing the vehicle users. There are no buses connecting the village. We have to depend on private vehicles to reach the main road. With the pothole-filled road, even private vehicles refuse to ferry passengers to the village,” complained the villagers.

In the absence of a pucca road, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation does not offer services to the village, forcing the residents and schoolchildren to depend on private vehicles for commute. Around 50 schoolchildren travel by private autorickshaws or vans daily to reach their school in Banakal.

The village, which has 65 or so houses, has a government lower primary school. The children have to travel to Banakal for higher primary education. “All our children travel on this bad stretch of road by autorickshaws as there are no bus services,” said Jagadish, a resident of Chegu who works as a tailor in Banakal.

Besides, the villagers have complained to the authorities about inadequate supply of drinking water. They have been fetching water from a nearby stream, but they want a permanent facility. “The quantity of water available is insufficient. The quality is also poor,” said Harish, who plies an autorickshaw.

Meanwhile, panchayat officials have taken note of the villagers’ protest. Banakal Gram Panchayat development officer S.K. Chandravathi said that she would submit a report on the matter to the district administration.

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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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