Transition of power will be smooth: Yediyurappa

Gulbarga June 4: The transition of power in the coalition set up in Karnataka will be smooth, Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said today. Talking to newspersons here, he said Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had indicated that handing over of Chief Ministership after 20 months to BJP would be as expected.

Mr Yediyurappa said he had spoken to Mr Kumaraswamy after Labour Minister Iqbal Ansari's remark who had stated that some BJP MLAs favoured his continuance.

Despite losing revenue to the tune of Rs 6,000 crore due to ban on sale of arrack, lotteries and waiver of farm loans, the government would carry out development works, he asserted.

While the work on construction of airports in Bijapur, Hassan and Shimoga was on, the government was in the process of acquiring additional 125 acres for the Gulbarga airport, he said adding once the land was acquired, the Airport Authority of India would approve the project.

He said the cabinet would soon announce compensation to sugarcane growers whose crops to the extent of 132,000 tonnes remained unharvested.

UNI