MLA Trimurti keep Dil connected will work for development of Belgaum

Belgaum Cloth Merchants Association had called a special meeting on Tuesday morning to put forth the various difficulties faced by them to the 3 MLA’s of Belgaum. All the three MLA’s Mr.Feroz Sait of North, Sanjay Patil of Rural and Abhay Patil of South were present and all spoke about working together towards the development of Belgaum with no partisan lines in middle. Congress spokesperson Anil Potdar was also present on the occasion.

Belgaum cloth market is about 100 years old and people from surrounding 200 kms come to Belgaum for shopping. Recently the flow of consumers to the city has decreased. Parking is a major cause of concern of the merchants because of which inflow has decreased.

Mr.Feroz Sait

Feroz Sait MLA Belgaum North said that, parking in the city is a major hindrance and he to avoids coming into the city due to it. He added that master plan should be done. Feroz Sait laid down a new plan for beautification of the Ramdev Galli to Shaniwar Khoot. Nothing concrete was disclosed but he stressed that if the association came up with a plan he was ready to execute it. He also promised to deploy the MLA funds in the business areas of the city. All work under the 650 crore JNNRUM project will be done under consultation with local people he added. Efforts will be made for the execution of the long pending Belgaum Dharwad rail link he said. Flights from Sambra had been closed only as there was no sufficient traffic and the same would commence once there is good potential. In reply to question, he said that he would ask the traffic authorities to see that a 1 meter box is marked in front of all shops which will make it easy for consumers to enter the shop.

Mr.Sanjay Patil

Sanjay Patil MLA for Rural said that Party lines will not interfere in the development of the city and all the 3 MLAs will collectively deploy the various funds and schemes. We all now should get away from this Marathi Kannada bias and work for the betterment of the city. There are no industries around Belgaum and the Rail and air links are not so good. He asked the merchants not be a frog in the well and come out and diversify into other fields as well.

Anil Potdar from the Congress told the gathering that traffic was the biggest problem and the main cause of this problem is the 70% odd increase of traffic, which makes use of Belgaum as a transit way from Kolhapur to Goa. He suggested a fly over to be built from Hotel Shankam to Peeranwadi, which will solve this problem once for all. The ring road will need Rs.800 odd crores but here the problem was not compensation but acquisition of land he said. A textile park must be built he said. Sulab Souchyalya (toilet blocks) will be built in the main city area he added. He said if master plan is to be undertaken spot compensation should be given.

Abhay Patil MLA South agreed to the BCMA’s demand for a separate land for developing a textile market, which will house 100+ textile shops. The MLA said he is ready to show the association 3 plots that can be given for this purpose. Belgaum is a “Sudharlele Khede” (a developed village) and stated that in the past 50 years nothing has happened here for the development due to the border row. Rs. 1 crore have been allocated for parking related issues and parking facilities will be provided near Deshmukh road on the side roads, he said in reply to a question. Regarding the issues of trade license and harassment from various other govt. offices, he said he would speak to them about the same in the week and get the mater resolved. Talks have already begun with Infosys and Toyota to ask them to establish them in Belgaum.

The meeting was held at Hotel Adarsh Palace and numerous cloth merchants were present at the meet. The Belgaum Cloth Merchants Association is a body of 180 members.

Photos: Team AAB

Farmers get relief: HC stays order of land acquisition

Poor farmers near the Bellary nala on the side of the NH4 who were about to loose their fertile land to the private society (Parivartan Alpasankyatara Krishi Sahakar Sangh ) controlled by Belgaum South MLA Abhay Patil, have won their first round of the battle.
The Karnataka High Court, on January 30, passed an interim order granting stay against the acquisition of land stating that the lands in the possession of the appellant farmers should not be disturbed until disposal of the appeal made by the appellants.
The respondents into the case included the Department of Industries and Commerce, Belgaum Deputy Commissioner, Special Land Acquisition Officer in Karnataka Industrial Development Corporation, Dharwad; Belgaum tahsildar and the sangh.
While passing the stay order, the court found prima facie that possession of lands was not taken as provided in Section 28 of Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Act, 1966. The possession of the land was taken by the Revenue Inspector of the village who was not empowered to do so under the law.
The court noted that the lands in question were earmarked for agricultural purpose in the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for Belgaum.

See related posts of the same story.
Farmers say don’t take our land
Farmers accuse MLA of trying to grab land
Who will hear the farmers? Police accused of harassment
HC order comes as a relief to farmers
Source: The Hindu

HC order comes as a relief to farmers

The Karnataka High Court’s interim order has come as a relief to small and marginal farmers who have been fighting to protect their fertile land on the either side of the Pune-Bangalore National Highway (Express Highway) 4.
About 20 families of farmers owning small and marginal land on survey Nos. 628, 629 and 630 on either side of the highway, just 2 km from the Central Bus Stand, have been fighting against the move by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) to allegedly hand it over to Parivartan Alpasankhyatara Krushi Sahakara Sangha (PAKSS), a private society controlled by Belgaum South MLA Abhay Kumar Patil of the BJP.
The KIADB had initiated steps to acquire the land against the will of the farmers who were depending on it for livelihood. The PAKSS wanted to set up a cold storage plant there. The National Highway Division, Belgaum, in its notification issued on March 27, 2000, determined the “building lines” and “control lines” and declared that 75 metres on either side of the existing highway as “Green Belt Zone” and banned construction activities and development work in this area.
When the farmers challenged the move to acquire their land in the High Court, the KIADB temporarily stalled the process only on the direction of Regional Commissioner Amita Prasad. But the police started harassing and threatening the farmers.
The High Court recently passed an interim order and asked the Government to respond “as to why the State should not take the responsibility of providing cold storage facilities to farmers as sought to be done by PAKSS for whose benefit the land is proposed to be acquired by the board.”

Source The Hindu

Magistrate to probe attack on official

Source The Hindu

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has agreed to order an inquiry by a magistrate into the attack on the Chief Engineer of Irrigation, North Zone, Belgaum, S.S. Khanagavi, here on July 3.
This was announced by Minister for Water Resources Basavaraj Bommai who was here to hold talks with the agitating staff of irrigation and other departments here on Sunday.

Demands
Mr. Bommai, who spoke to Mr. Yeddyurappa over telephone, said that the Chief Minister had agreed to fulfil demands such as an inquiry into the incident, transfer Circle Inspector S.M. Nagaraj (Camp Police Station) and Sub-Inspector Pradeep Yadvin (APMC Police Station), and apology by BJP MLA Abay Kumar Patil to Mr. Khanagavi.
However, later addressing presspersons, he said that the demand for Mr. Patil’s resignation had been conveyed to the president of the State unit of the BJP, D.V. Sadananda Gowda.
Mr. Bommai said that after reviewing the sequence of events that led to the “planned attack” on Mr. Khanagavi and hearing the statements of eight eye witnesses, he felt the need for an impartial inquiry.
The incident had posed a question to the integrity and impartiality of the Government, he said.

Abhay Patil MLA arrested

Photo Taken from Tarun Bharat.

The police on Friday arrested BJP MLA Abhay Kumar Patil and four of his supporters in connection with the attack on the Chief Engineer, Irrigation, North Zone, Belgaum, on Thursday. He was produced in the JMFC IV Court which granted him bail. The other accused Raju Patil, Rajendra Pawar, Deepak Jamkhandi and Sanjay Patil were also produced in the court which granted them bail.

Earlier, Various organisations condemned attack on irrigation official. Protest was organised by Karnataka State Engineering Service Association. Associations seek action against policemen for remaining mute to the attack.

A large number of employees of the Irrigation, Public Works and other State Government departments on Friday took out a procession in protest against the attack on S.S. Khanagavi, Chief Engineer of Irrigation, North Zone, and seeking the arrest of BJP MLA Abhay Kumar Patil here on Friday.

Source The Hindu

Abhay Kumar Patil in Kaveri Nagar: ‘Shramdan’ is his motto'