Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s ‘Grama Vaastavya’ does not help the people who offer him a place to stay in villages. Instead, it disrupts routine activities as official machinery imposes curfew-like restrictions. It does not bring in development even after causing a huge burden to the State’s exchequer, say residents of Bandihole in the district.
The village in K.R. Pet taluk awaits better basic infrastructure. The CM had conducted ‘Grama Vaastavya’ at Srinivasa Shetty’s home here in 2006, during his first stint as CM with the support of BJP. “We were all waiting for his arrival in 2006. He came, conducted the programme and left. It did not help the village. The police had restricted our movement,” said Bore Gowda, a farmer staying in a house attached to Mr. Shetty’s residence.
The former Congress MLA K.B. Chandrashekar says the village has not seen any development. The proposed rural stay programme is just to strengthen the JD(S), he alleged.
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In 2006, movement of the villagers was banned on the road where Mr. Kumaraswamy stayed. Moreover, policemen prevented villagers from meeting him. The villagers were expecting improvement of roads, electricity, drinking water supply and basic amenities apart from employment for youth. But, nothing has been done except providing employment to a physically challenged person at the CESC on a contract basis.
The government school building, where the public meeting was conducted then, collapsed a few years ago.
Mr. Shetty did not get any financial benefits from the government or the party for allowing the CM to sleep at his house? He laments that it did not help him in any way. Luxurious items kept at his house were taken back immediately after the CM left the village, he said. He was assured two acres and a job for his son. But, none of this was met. Efforts to reach the CM to remind him about the assurances yielded no result.
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Mr. Kumaraswamy should revisit the village to ascertain whether such programmes would help the villages, said the residents.