Date:18/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/05/18/stories/2006051813000400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Samiti wants legislature sessions in Gulbarga

Staff Reporter

Make the city a second capital of the State: samiti

Priority for Krishna Basin project

Conduct of CET division-wise

BANGALORE: The Hyderabad Karnataka Janapar Sangarsh Samiti has demanded that Gulbarga be made a second capital of the State.

Samiti president Lakshmana Dasthi and secretary-general and former Mayor of Gulbarga Dasharath Babu Onti told presspersons here that the State Government should give priority to the development of the region. An agitation would be launched if it failed to do so, they said.

The samiti, which has made 12 demands for the development of the region, wants at least one session of the legislature to be held in Gulbarga. It has said Gulbarga should be a venue of at least four Cabinet meetings a year. The Krishna Basin irrigation projects should be given priority, and a member of the Cabinet appointed to monitor work, it has said.

HKDB powers

The samiti has demanded that the Hyderabad-Karnataka Development Board be given more powers, and the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board and the Pre-university Education Board split division-wise to improve administration and address the problems of students from the region. Gulbarga is registering poor results in SSLC and PU examinations and has the highest percentage of out-of-school children in the seven to 14 age group, it has pointed out.

The samiti has suggested that counselling for admissions to professional courses through the Common Entrance Test be conducted division-wise.

It has said that appointments to government jobs in Hyderabad Karnataka should be made at the divisional level, and special appointments made to undo the injustice done to the region.