Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa inaugurated the four-floor Cauvery annexe at the Karnataka Bhavan here on Thursday.
The Rs. 36-crore building has separate suites for the Governor and the Chief Minister, besides 10 rooms for VVIPs and 24 for VIPs. It has meeting rooms/auditoriums in each floor.
Later, the Chief Minister held informal discussions with some of his Cabinet colleagues at his suite in the new building. Among others, Ministers C.M. Udasi and Katta Subramanya Naidu and the State's Special Representative here, V. Dhananjaya Kumar participated.
Calls on Pratibha
In the evening, Mr. Yeddyurappa called on President Pratibha Patil and invited her for the inauguration of “Sangeetha Gurukal”, a memorial built in Dharwad and named after noted Hindustani classical vocalist, the late Gangubai Hangal. The function would be held at the date convenient to the President.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president R.V. Deshpande and Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assembly Siddaramaiah met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and sought the Centre's intervention into the illegal mining in the State.
Later, Mr. Siddaramaiah told presspersons that Mr. Yeddyurappa was turning a blind eye to the issue just to save his chair. He alleged that five lakh tonnes of iron ore from the Belikere port had found its way to Karachi in Pakistan.
