As many as 1,103 habitations in the State remain unconnected by roads, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah revealed here after a review meeting with Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh on Friday.
Interestingly, the BJP Government had claimed that all villages and habitations in the State were connected by roads.
“Our records show that all habitations in the State are connected. But the State government said that 1,103 habitations remained unconnected,” Mr. Ramesh told presspersons. On Mr. Siddaramaiah’s suggestion to treat an area with a population of 250 as a habitation in the Western Ghats areas, Mr Ramesh said that he would look into the issue.
The Union government treats an area with a population of 250 as a habitation only in hilly States and Karnataka is not a hilly state but has hilly areas. “I will have to take on board the Planning Commission and the Finance Ministry to consider an area with a population of 250 as a habitation in Karnataka,” Mr. Ramesh said.
Houses
The Union government has sanctioned 87,816 houses under the Indira Awas Yojana in this fiscal. Based on the State’s request, it has sanctioned 50,000 more houses to provide housing to vulnerable sections of people such as Adivasis, destitute, widows, tribal people and the poor, Mr. Ramesh said.
Mr. Ramesh said that implementation of the Indira Awas Yojana was very poor in the State during the BJP regime.
