Kumaraswamy denys charges of evicting poor farmers

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

Intervening during discussion on the Rajiv Gandhi University Health Sciences (Amendment) Bill 2007, which was passed by the Legislative Assembly today, the Chief Minister said, "There is no selfish end in 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 right decision when go the seek vote again in Ramanagara" Mr Kumaraswamy said.

Earlier presenting the bill, Medical Education Minister V S Acharya informed the house that the amendment bill seeking to shift the headquarter of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences from Bangalore to Ramanagar, 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 250 bedded super specialty hospital, a 750 bedded hi-tech hospital and other allied buildings. The state government had also taken a decision to make Ramnagara as a 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 headquarter from Bangalore to Ramnagara, Mr Patil charged that it was a political decision.

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

UNI