The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its manifesto for Udupi-Chikmagalur parliamentary constituency here on Tuesday. It was released by the senior party leader Somashekhar Bhat.
Explaining the highlights of the manifesto, T.V. Hegde, president of the district unit of the BJP said if the BJP came to power at the Centre and if its candidate Shobha Karandlaje won the election, it would develop a port in Udupi district along the lines of the Mundra port in Gujarat.
Additionally, basic infrastructure would be developed in all ports in the district.
A hi-tech fisheries harbour would be developed in the district. A Special Fisheries Zone and a Special Economic Zone too would be developed along with the harbour. Emphasis would be laid on value addition to fish products.
Effective steps would be taken to deal with natural calamities in Udupi and Chikmagalur districts. The aim would be prevent loss of lives and properties.
The party would construct permanent seawalls to prevent the problem of sea erosion in the coastal belt.
Water gridThe rivers flowing westwards in the coastal and Malenadu belt would be joined and a Water Grid would be constructed. This would help in providing water to all towns and villages in the constituency.
The District Government Hospitals in Udupi and Chikmagalur would be upgraded into super-specialty hospitals. Best healthcare would be made available in these hospitals. Air Ambulance facilities would be started in these two districts.
In order to deal with the problem of unemployment in these two districts, Skill Development Centres would be set up.
Training would be given to women to drive autorickshaws and separate women autorickshaw stands would be created.
All facilities recommended in the Gorakh Singh Report would be implemented to protect the interests of the areca nut farmers. All efforts would be made to see that there was no ban on areca nut.
A special package would be provided to areca nut farmers, whose crop had been affected due to the yellow leaf disease.
Highway developmentThe Padubidri-Karkala-Mudigere-Chikmagalur Road, which connects the coastal districts with those of Malenadu, would be converted into an Express Highway. A new railway line would be put from Nandikur to Mudigere via Karkala.
New airports would be established in Udupi and Chikmagalur. A new Udupi Railway Division would be established which will have its jurisdiction from Ullal to Madgaon.
Udupi and Chikmagalur would be included in the party’s plan to construct 100 smart cities in the country. A world-class university would be established in Chikmagalur, while Udupi would be made a knowledge hub.
Tourism in both the districts would be encouraged. The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms would be relaxed, Mr. Hegde said.
