GTD tells Siddaramaiah to take up development works of Mysuru, as no other CM will

JD(S) leader G.T. Deve Gowda with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and others at the opening ceremony of Indira canteen at Hinkal in Mysuru on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram

Senior leader of Janata Dal (Secular) and MLA for Chamundeshwari, G.T. Deve Gowda, told Chief Minister Siddaramaiah that if he does not take up development works of Mysuru, no other Chief Minister will.

Mr. Gowda was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Indira canteen at Hinkal on the outskrits of Mysuru on Saturday.

He showered praises on Mr. Siddaramaiah for his rise in politics from Mysuru and also brought up the civic problems plaguing Mysuru city and its outskirts.

Though about 1,000 new layouts had been transferred from Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) to four town panchayats, one City Municipal Council (CMC) and four gram panchayats, the local bodies do not have funds to take up the development works, Mr. Gowda said.

An appeal, in this regard, has been given to the Urban Development Minister as well as the Chief Minister, who has assured to consider allocation of funds in the next Budget, he said.

Pointing out that property owners were queuing up to pay property tax to avail the 5% discount offered by the government for urban local bodies, Mr. Gowda urged the Chief Minister to extend the rebate for three more months so that the government can mop up more funds to ensure the distribution of electricity, drinking water, and other amenities to the people.

“People, who had never paid property tax, were also paying tax now,” he remarked.

He urged the government to sanction ₹150 crore to bring an additional 60 million litres a day (MLD) from Kabini drinking water scheme to the city. He pointed out that Minister in charge of Mysuru district H.C. Mahadevappa had inspected the plant recently and assured to implement the same.

Though Hinkal and Bogadi were to become part of the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), the proposal did not material as MCC opposed it. Even though a lot of development projects like hospitals and colleges were allotted for Mysuru city, no such projects had been sanctioned for Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency, he said and urged Mr. Siddaramaiah to create a Greater Mysuru City Corporation (GMCC).

The GMCC is sought to be created by merging the town panchayats and CMC on the outskirts of Mysuru with the MCC.

While complimenting the Chief Minister for overhauling the MUDA and renaming it as Mysuru Development Authority (MDA), Mr. Gowda urged the Chief Minister to pay attention to the woeful situation of the underground drainage system in Mysuru and its outskirts. “The underground drainage (UGD) works need special attention,” he added.