Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took jibes at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government at the Centre and its party’s legislators and MPs from Karnataka for singularly taking credit for all programmes and schemes implemented jointly by the Centre and State governments.
Addressing a gathering after laying foundation stone for long-pending modernisation of the Central Bus Station at a cost of Rs.32.48 crore here on Saturday, Mr. Siddaramaiah questioned the morality of BJP in attributing programmes and schemes like Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and Smart City Project (SCP) to the Central government or Prime Minister Narendra Modi although the cost of these programmes were shared equally by the State governments.
“You do not make any reference to the State governments or their Chief Ministers while speaking on such programmes on public platforms, I think you should rename the PMFBY as ‘Pradhan Mantri Aur Mukhya Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana’ to recognise State’s role in the scheme,” he told BJP’s MP Suresh C. Angadi present on the dais.
Earlier, the Chief Minister asked the concerned contractor to complete the modernisation of the CBS within two years and that it should be ready for inauguration by February 2018. He said the Belagavi CBS was constructed in 1962 and was badly in need of modernisation, particularly in the wake of the city being selected for the SCP.
Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy highlighted salient features of the modernisations works and facilities to be created at the CBS, which included 41 bus bays, circulation and parking areas, separate lanes for auto-rickshaw and taxi services, basement parking for private vehicles, terminal building with waiting areas, ticket/ reservation counters, cloak room, first-aid room, waiting rooms, rest room for the crew, passenger amenities such as drinking water, toilets, yatri nivas (tourist lodge), etc., besides restaurant, shops, kiosks and administrative offices, parcel office and other facilities.
Feroz N. Sait, MLA, presided over the function. State government chief whip Ashok Pattan, former minister Prakash B. Hukkeri, MP and senior officials of the North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation were present.
