SHIVAMOGGA: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said he would convene a meeting of elected representatives of the six Western Ghats districts in the first week of May to discuss on legal recourse to tackle forest-related issues. He said the meeting would also involve Advocate General and other senior officials of various departments, including the forest department.
Addressing the media here, Bommai said, “Some of the problems require amendment of laws, some need support from the Union Government and for some immediate action needs to be taken. All these issues would be debated in the meeting.” ‘There is a need to take some legal course with regard to the forest related issues. Hence, I am convening a special meeting on this in the first week of May. It is not only related to Shivamogga but also Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada and Kodagu,’ said Bommai.
He said airport and Smart City works in Shivamogga will be expedited. Speaking about the Jog Falls in Shivamogga district, Bommai said administration approval has been given for its overall development, so as to turn it into an international tourist spot.
CM Bommai expressed the need to bring an amendment to the Karnataka Land Grabbing Act 2011. “In big cities, people grab land as for money... in rural areas it is for their livelihood. This disparity needs to be rectified by amending the Act,” he said.
The Chief Minster said the State government is keen on setting up new industries in Shivamogga, for which focus would be on infrastructure and skill development. ‘The heads of various IT-BT companies will participate in the upcoming Bengaluru Tech Summit. We will ask them to consider about our idea of ‘Beyond Bengaluru’ to invest in other cities and districts of Karnataka, including Shivamogga,’ he said.