Governor Vajubhai R. Vala on Monday said the State government will establish a State-wide geographic information system (GIS) to provide the benefit to all departments as an innovative governance tool in their day-to-day planning and monitoring of schemes.
In his address in Hindi to a joint session of the State legislature here on Monday, Mr. Vala said “the Karnataka-GIS portal will be the first of its kind in the country”. Interestingly, Mr. Vala is the first Governor to deliver his address in Hindi, which has drawn criticism from pro-Kannada organisations.
Mr. Vala noted various steps taken by the government to tackle the various problems and needs of Bengaluru city, and said Bengaluru Metro Rail project phase – I was targeted for completion this year.
In the wake of the Opposition’s charges against the Congress government on re-modification of the Arkavathi Layout in Bengaluru, Mr. Vala called upon the ruling and opposition parties to work constructively together for all-round development of the State.
Meanwhile, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (Secular) described the Governor’s address as “drab”.
Leader of the Opposition Jagadish Shettar said it was “disappointing, directionless and lacked substantial content”.
He said the address had listed only the actions of the past and failed to give a clear indication of the future moves of the government.
He argued that the address should have indicated the measures intended to be taken by the government regarding good governance to reduce inconvenience to people.
JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy said the address was not even worth discussing. “The manner in which only old things have been included in the address shows that the government lacks commitment towards responding to the aspirations of the people,” he alleged.
