MADHUGIRI: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday skirted the long-pending issue of a separate district status to the Madhugiri subdivision of Tumakuru district, at the decennial celebration of ‘Ksheera Bhagya’ scheme at Rajiv Gandhi stadium here.
He cited a paucity of funds as the reason for the government not going with the formation of new districts or taluks, as the taluks formed in the past also needed funds for infrastructure development.
Even as Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara, who represented the Madhugiri Assembly constituency for three terms, and incumbent MLA and Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna insisted that the subdivision consisting of Madhugiri, Sira, Pavagada and Koratagere could be brought under the new district with Madhugiri as the headquarters, Siddaramaiah clarified that the “government will only examine it”.
He said that if Madhugiri has to be declared a new district, there will be opposition from other MLAs within the district, including K Shadakshari, as he may insist that Tiptur also declared a new district. In reply, Rajanna said that even Tiptur could be declared a separate district by including Turuvekere and other neighbouring taluks. But Siddaramaiah was not ready to accept the logic.
Meanwhile, acceding to the demand for a ropeway or cable car project on Asia’s largest monolithic rock at Madhugiri, he promised that the government would implement the project. He inaugurated the Kannada Bhavana and laid foundation stones for development works worth Rs 150 crore, which is a record for any Assembly constituency since the Congress government took over three months ago.