In the run-up to the State Budget to be tabled this month, a section of stakeholders have submitted a wish list seeking a Rs. 200-crore grant to improve infrastructure in the city.
A pre-budget discussion was held under the aegis of the Association of Concerned and Informed Citizens of Mysore (ACICM) here on Saturday and the government was urged to accord ‘Greater Mysore’ status for the city apart from declaring it a heritage city.
M. Lakshman, convener of the ACICM, said that in view of the city’s heritage and tourism importance, important arterial roads and circles should be upgraded to reflect the city’s heritage status. Emphasis should be on conservation of natural landmarks, including major water bodies, he said. The ACICM sought approval for multi-storeyed parking facilities.
Other key demands included administrative approval for a bomb disposal squad and 10 new police stations. The stakeholders reiterated a long-pending demand for separate water supply and distribution system for industrial areas of the city, decentralisation of waste treatment, establishing coffee export centre, cold storage facilities to give a fillip to floriculture and horticulture, establishment of food park, a new government engineering college in Mysore and a hospital on the lines of K.R. Hospital, tourism promotion in Mysore, Mandya, Kodagu, Hassan and Chamarajanagar and so on.
The wish list also included a demand to establish a Yoga University in view of the city’s growing reputation as a yoga hub, development of a mini airport at Madikeri, and upgrading the Mysore airport to promote tourism.