JD(S) leader H.D. Revanna rubbished reports of his suggestion to an MLA, to “set the tahsildar’s vehicle ablaze if tractors carrying stones were stopped.”
Addressing presspersons here on Monday, he denied giving such a statement, adding that a section of the press had “reported it wrongly.”
According to reports, Mr. Revanna, at a meeting held at the Deputy Commissioner’s office last month, had reportedly suggested to K.M. Shivalinge Gowda, MLA, that the tahsildar’s jeep be set on fire, if the officer stops tractors carrying building stones or jelly.
Lok Sabha member H.D. Deve Gowda, JD(S) MLAs H.S. Prakash, H.K. Kumaraswamy, senior district officers, and presspersons were present at that meeting.
After his statement was reported in a section of the media, a few officers openly said that they feared conducting raids on places where illegal sand mining was going on.
“It was wrongly reported in a section of media. I have never brought pressure on any officer. Some officers are least bothered about illegal sand mining,” he alleged.
MGNREGSStating that Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has not been successful, he said the Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj should hold a meeting of all MLAs and discuss changes necessary in the scheme.
“Now the scheme has been reduced to a way to make money. No works are done under the scheme. The scheme should be changed such that work is allotted through tenders and executed properly,” the JD(S) leader said.
Relief workHe said many parts of Hassan district were facing an acute shortage of drinking water, and demanded that the State Government address the issue seriously.
The government should release funds to take up relief work. Besides that, farmers in drought affected areas should be granted interest-free loans, he added.
