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Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reiterated the State government’s commitment to redressing the regional imbalance in North Karnataka and said that his government has acted according to its words. He also promised to release additional grants for the third phase of the Upper Krishna Project (UKP).
He was addressing a public gathering after laying the foundation stone for the Bagalkot Medical College and Research Institute and inaugurating various development works in Bagalkot on Saturday (March 14). The Chief Minister also initiated the process of compensation disbursal to farmers whose lands are being acquired for the third phase of the project.
Mr. Siddaramaiah also said that it was because of the efforts of H.Y. Meti, MLA and former Minister, that the government medical college in Bagalkot was established. “The announcement regarding establishment of the medical college was made in the 2025 Budget and now, the foundation stone has been laid. It has got nothing to do with the by-election,” he clarified.
The Chief Minister said that after Congress came to power in the State, various districts have been getting developed through several projects. “We plan to establish a medical college and trauma centre in every district. The establishment process is already under way in 25 districts. Next year, steps will be taken to establish a super speciality hospital here,” he noted.
‘Far from truth’
The Chief Minister stated that the BJP’s allegation about the government not having funds for development was far from the truth. “We have given equal priority to guarantee schemes and development. Every ₹50,000 crore is being spent for guarantee schemes and so far, ₹1.22 lakh crore has been spent. Although the BJP was in power for four years, it never thought of establishing medical college in Bagalkot. Only creating animosity on the basis of religion and caste is their mala fide intention,” he pointed out.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said that the BJP never showed interest towards disbursing compensation for the land acquired for UKP and consequently, the farmers did not come forward to part with their lands. “But now, the Congress government has decided to give compensation to the farmers at one go. In this year’s Budget, a total of ₹3,000 crore has been earmarked for the third phase of UKP. This apart, steps will be taken to allocate additional funds. Farmers who come forward voluntarily to give up their lands will be given ₹40 lakh for irrigated farmland and ₹30 lakh for arid land. However, BJP leaders are engaged in spreading canards,” he alleged.
The Chief Minister said that a compensation amounting to ₹446 crore will be disbursed for acquiring 900 acres in eight villages under UKP.
He went on to allege that while the Congress government is fulfilling its words, the Union government, in spite of repeated requests, had not given permissions for the State’s irrigation and drinking water projects, including UKP, Mahadayi and others.
The Chief Minister also claimed that while a gazette notification was issued for the irrigation project in Gujarat despite being in dispute, a gazette notification was not being issued for UKP, although there is no legal dispute. Similarly, clearances are not being given for the Mahadayi project, though there is no case before the court, he said.
A.P. pressurising Centre: DKS
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said that Andhra Pradesh is pressurising the Union government to not grant approval for land acquisition for the third phase of UKP and now, Maharashtra is also opposing the project. “In order to present the ground reality, we are going to Delhi on Tuesday (March 17) and will meet all MPs,” he said.
On Saturday (March 14), Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar visited the Sri Jagadguru Siddarameshwar Mahasamsthana Bovi Guru Peetha at Navanagar in Bagalkot and sought the blessings of the seer.
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