Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s love for his home town has been a blessing to the region, which has managed to get more than 15 programmes, including a Rs 100-crore package for development of the city’s infrastructure.
His village of Siddaramanahundi has also benefited by getting a milk powder unit. And in a nod to his political gurus, farmer leader M D Nanjundaswamy and Congress leader M Rajasekaramurthy, who once defeated him in elections, he announced Rs 5 crore to the former’s Amruthbhoomi Trust at Hondarabalu village in Chamrajanagar and Rs 2 crore for a model education centre at Marihala. He announced a `5-crore Knowledge Resource Centre at Suttur. Announcing that the 24x7 water supply will be extended across the city, he also said that JNNURM programmes will continue in Mysore, like in Bangalore.
He announced funds for Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar chair at Mysore University, Rs 5 cr for modernisation of Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation that was started by the erstwhile Maharaja, and a proposal to set up multi-skill development centres in the city.
The proposal to develop a police school in Mysore has come as a relief to the institution that is reeling under a financial crunch. Further, the move to make Mysore a “safe” city and additional funds for strengthening of tourism in the region is aimed at improving the city’s image.
Siddaramaiah has also announced a number of projects for the backward Chamrajnagar district, including a long-standing demand for a granite park. The announcement of 24x7 water supply to Chamarajanagar and Kollegal, water supply and underground drainage facilities in the temple town Nanjangud have come as a relief to the people. The other neighbouring district, Mandya has got a lift irrigation project at Malvalli, Rs 500 cr for modernisation of irrigation canals in the Cauvery basin, Rs 30 cr for a campus of the Bijapur-based Karnataka State Women’s University in Mandya. He also announced flyovers at all cities along the Bangalore-Mysore state highway to ease traffic.
Kodagu, which did not elect a single Congress MLA, has been given Rs 50 cr for development of roads that were damaged in the heavy downpour.
Siddaramaiah, an advocate, announced Rs 2 cr for an Advocate Bhavan in Mysore.
He also announced the bifurcation of the Mysore-Chamrajnagar Milk Producers Cooperative Union.
The government decision to set aside Rs 30 crore to check man-animal conflict and Rs 7 crore for development of newly announced wildlife sancturies would push funds into the region.