BENGALURU: Karnataka RDPR Minister Eshwar B Khandre on Saturday said that elections to gram, taluk, and zilla panchayats will be held in October or November as the tenure of most of the panchayats in the state has ended.
Speaking to mediapersons in Bengaluru, the minister said work on redistribution of constituencies in some panchayats that have been upgraded will be completed by the end of July or August and reservation will be decided.
They would submit it to the State Election Commission, which will hold the elections within 45 days, he said. On the delay in the elections to urban local bodies, he said that all government employees are busy with the Special Intensive Revision exercise.
Khandre said that the Union Government has not released Rs 2,186 crore to the gram panchayats in Karnataka as recommended by the 15th Finance Commission, citing technical reasons. The MPs from the state should take up the issue, he said.
Khandre said there is no shortage of funds to provide drinking water to rural areas and Rs 117 crore has already been released. In addition, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who held a regional-level meeting in Belagavi, has announced that Rs 1 crore will be provided to each rural Assembly constituency.
There will be no financial problems in providing water despite the drought situation, Khandre said, and appealed to people not to waste water. The State Government has implemented the VB-G RAM G in the interest of the poor, Dalits, deprived people and the rural poor despite the financial burden, he added.
Hits out at HDK over HMT land
Khandre hit out at Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries HD Kumaraswamy over the issue of HMT land in Bengaluru. He said the said land has not been converted for non-forest purposes and will remain forest. The State Government has the right over it, not HMT, he added.
The minister said he will not do politics with development issues and has no personal enmity against Kumaraswamy. Khandre said Kumaraswamy had stated that Bangalore City DCF has issued a notice. “It is not a notice. It is an order of a quasi-judicial authority,” the minister said.
After giving HMT an opportunity to file documents, the order was made on the basis that appropriate documents were not provided, he said. If they have any dispute about the order, they should file an appeal as per the law and then go to the High Court, Khandre said.