11 hours ago
Govt ignoring coastal Karnataka, claims BJP
Mangaluru: Accusing the Congress-led state government of apathy and administrative failure in addressing public issues in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced a large-scale dharna satyagraha in front of all Gram Panchayat, Town Municipal and City Municipal Council offices across the two districts on June 23. The protest, scheduled between 10 am and 1 pm, aims to highlight what the party describes as 'deliberate neglect' of people's basic civic needs and pending welfare schemes. District BJP presidents, MLAs, MLCs and MPs from both districts are expected to participate in the demonstration.
Among the key issues flagged by BJP MLC Kishore Kumar Puttur, who released a statement on Tuesday, are:
Delays in plot approval: Residents are allegedly being forced to travel to other taluk headquarters and wait for months to get approvals for residential plot layouts, particularly for Form 9 and 11E.
Staff shortages in local bodies: Gram Panchayats continue to face acute staff crunch, with no remedial action from the government.
Stalled housing under Ashraya scheme: Approval of houses has been on hold for over two years, and even ongoing works are not receiving sanctioned funds.
Rejection of Akrama-Sakrama applications: Widespread dissatisfaction is brewing over what the BJP terms as 'arbitrary' rejection of regularisation applications without proper scrutiny.
Non-disbursement of pension schemes: Elderly citizens and beneficiaries under the Sandhya Suraksha scheme are allegedly not receiving their entitled pensions.
Threats to Gruha Lakshmi scheme: The government is reportedly considering rolling back the flagship women's welfare scheme, citing fiscal constraints.
Misuse of public funds: BJP has criticised the ongoing re-enumeration exercise under the name of census as a misuse of public money. Terming the protest 'a people's movement rather than a political campaign,' Puttur stated that the dharna would be peaceful but firm in conveying the grievances of ordinary citizens to the government.
