Sense of separateness removed by special session: Governor

Belgaum, Sep 28 (UNI) The holding of a special session of Karnataka legislature at Belgaum has made up for the sense of separateness, if any, in the minds of people due to want of proximity to the State capital, Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvedi said today.

In his address to members of both the Houses, he said the commemorative session would not only help to remove the feeling of neglect in the minds of the people of the region, but also lend significance and a sense of direction to the Suvarna Karnataka celebrations which have a positive and constructive orientation focused on commonness, unity, striving in unison for all-sided, balanced and even handed development of the State and sharing in common the benefits of development.

At the same time, he wanted the Government to implement the recommendations of the D M Nanjundapppa committee with a sense of urgency to redress regional disparities by pumping more funds and gearing up implementation machinery. A high level Cabinet Committee should review the progress of the implementation over the next five years, he added.

Referring to the efforts made by successive Governments in developing the State, Mr Chaturvedi said a relentless effort must be on to maintain the momentum of IT, BT and other related sectors.

''All such programmes should take care of participatory urban and rural planning,'' he added.

Calling upon the Legislators to utilise the special occasion to take stock of the various achievements that the State had made during the last 50 years, he suggested chalking out a roadmap for the future.

Expressing concern that over 50 irrigation projects were pending for many years, Mr Chaturvedi said this had led to not only waste of water, but also escalation in cost of these projects in both Krishna and Cauvery basins. He wanted the Government to take immediate measures to complete all pending projects so that people could avail of both adequate drinking water and irrigation facilities.

The Governor also lent a cautious advice to the State on river water disputes, stating that ''while water is a national asset and keeping in view the spirit of the nation's federal set up, there is a need to resolve disputes, if any, with the neighbouring States in an amicable spirit according to the provisions as laid down in our Constitution.'' MORE UNI MV VK VA GC1618