Several families staged a dharna outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office here on Wednesday, demanding houses under the ‘Nanna Mane’ Scheme.
“The State government spent at least Rs. 15 crore to hold the winter session of the legislature at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha and some Bills were passed without discussion on the last day. This could have been done at the Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore itself, and the money spent [on the session] could have been utilised to provide housing to the poor and setting up permanent drinking water facilities in the drought-affected areas of north Karnataka,” they said. The families said the B.S. Yeddyurappa government launched Nanna Mane, a low-cost housing scheme, with a view to solving the housing problems of the needy. But many families in the city were yet to benefit from the scheme.
They said the government held the legislature session promising to boost development through welfare programmes but spent nine days debating the Cauvery water dispute and other political issues. “If this is the way the government defines development, we have nothing to say,” said Ayappa B. Vanarashi and Babu Theka, who led the dharna.
Mr. Theka said the Belgaum City Corporation had promised to provide housing under the Vajpayee Housing Scheme to houseless families as per government direction. But there was delay in the process of identifying beneficiaries, he said, and submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner and BCC Administrator V. Anbukkumar to direct authorities to ensure fair selection of beneficiaries and implement the scheme at the earliest.
