Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who heard the grievances of party legislators on Wednesday, has assured them of finalising allocation of houses for eligible beneficiaries soon.
Speaking at the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting here, the Chief Minister said legislators could submit applications recommending beneficiaries and houses would be allocated as per their recommendations.
Addressing presspersons after the meeting, senior party MLA and CLP secretary C.S. Nadagouda said several legislators questioned the delay in the distribution of three lakh houses this year to eligible beneficiaries. Following several questions on implementation of housing schemes, Mr. Siddaramaiah promised allocation of houses to the needy before election code of conduct comes into effect.
Mr. Siddaramaiah has directed all district in-charge Ministers to consult legislators of their district before taking decisions on implementation of development works.
In view of elections to the Lok Sabha, several members have demanded early distribution of below poverty line (BPL) ration cards and repair of roads works in their constituencies.
Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj H.K. Patil told party legislators to avail of funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act for taking up rural roads, tanks and houses.
On MLAs’ apprehensions about possible power cuts in the summer, Minister for Energy D.K. Shivakumar assured them that he would make arrangements to ensure uninterrupted seven-hour three-phase power supply in villages.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president G. Parameshwara, who attended the meeting, said Congress president Sonia Gandhi would visit Gulbarga on Saturday to address a divisional-level party workers’ convention. He appealed to all Ministers and legislators to participate in the meeting.
‘Dinner’ meetingsSources told The Hindu that Mr. Siddaramaiah has instructed ministerial aspirants to refrain from holding secret “dinner” meetings, to avoid negative publicity in the media. The legislators should either approach him personally or the KPCC chief to address their problems or constituency issues, the Chief Minister told MLAs and MLCs.
Sources said that the Chief Minster told the CLP that it was difficult to meet all demands of party legislators, and the government was functioning within the framework of the law. Dinner or secret meetings by a few legislators and party workers would harm the party’s image on the eve of general elections. Issuing statements criticising the government in the media would not help the party in the elections, he said.
