Kumaraswamy denies charges of evicting poor farmers

Bangalore, July 31 (UNI) Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy today denied that poor farmers had been ''victimised'' while taking up infrastructure projects in the state, especially in Ramanagara, his home constituency in Bangalore Rural district.

During the discussion on the Rajiv Gandhi University Health Sciences (Amendment) Bill 2007, passed by the Legislative Assembly today, the Chief Minister said, ''There is no selfish end in the sanctioning of various infrastructure projects''.

''If at all I have taken any anti-people decisions, the people who got me elected will evaluate and take the right decision when I seek their votes again'' Mr Kumaraswamy said.

Earlier, presenting the bill, Medical Education Minister V S Acharya informed the House that the amendment bill seeking to shift the headquarters of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences from Bangalore to Ramanagara, where a world-class infrastructure was planned to house it.

In the proposed Rs 310 crore campus, it was also planned to build Medical, Dental, Pharmacy, Nursing colleges and a health complex with a 250 bedded super speciality hospital, a 750 bedded hi-tech hospital and other allied buildings.

The state government had also taken a decision to make Ramnagara a separate district, he said.

Opposition leader H K Patil, participating in the discussion, brought to the notice of the government that the University was originally proposed to be set up at Mysore. Opposing the move to shift the University headquarters from Bangalore to Ramnagara, Mr Patil charged that it was a political decision.

However the bill was later passed unanimously when it was put to vote by the chair.

UNI