Karnataka - Bangalore

JD(S) manifesto focusses on housing for urban poor

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Housing for all: Janata Dal (Secular) president H.D. Deve Gowda releasing his party’s manifesto for urban local body elections in Bangalore on Friday.

BANGALORE: Providing possession certificates to urban slum dwellers, construction of 1,000 houses in each town for the unorganised workers such as tailors, carpenters, barbers and autorickshaw drivers, setting up of government garment factories in each town to provide employment to poor women and physically challenged, proper civic amenities and infrastructure… These are the highlights of the 18-point manifesto brought out by the Janata Dal (Secular) on Friday for the ensuing elections to the urban local bodies.

The manifesto, which was released by party national president H.D. Deve Gowda, has two parts. In the main part, the party has dwelt at length on the various urban development schemes and welfare measures initiated by Mr. Gowda as Prime Minister and Chief Minister and also his son, Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy. The notifications regarding these welfare schemes have also been published.

The manifesto takes a dig at the Opposition Congress by publishing the notifications issued by the then Congress Government stopping the regularisation of unauthorised houses that had been initiated by Mr. Gowda.

It goes on to comparing the achievements of the Janata Dal (Secular) with those of the Congress providing with statistics to prove its cases, and charges the Congress, especially the then Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh, with failure to provide possession certificates to slum dwellers. It has also accuses the Congress of reducing the number BPL ration cards given to poor families.

In the second part, the party has listed its 18 poll promises, which include providing 1,000 houses in each town and 5,000 houses in each city to the poor unorganised workers, aid from the government for providing a life insurance cover of Rs. 1 lakh for autorickshaw drivers.

The manifesto promises to form task forces in each town for preventing the outbreak of epidemics, steps to bring about coordination among various civic agencies at the town-level and launching a new scheme on the lines of the Bhoomi for getting the document copies for the property from the civic bodies. For the construction workers, it has promised expediting the implementation of the Government’s decision to set up State-level welfare board besides providing residential accommodation to pourakarmikas.

The other assurances include maintaining cleanliness, upgrading infrastructure, providing access to clean drinking water, residential schools in the Muslim and Dalit-dominated areas, Urdu anganwadis and providing space for crematorium for different communities.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Gowda said the results of the municipal polls would not be an indicator to the party’s performance in the next elections to the Assembly as the municipal polls would be fight mostly on the basis of local issues.

Mr. Gowda indicated that the transfer of power to the Bharatiya Janata Party would take place through direct discussions between the coalition partners. “Some people have accused me of hatching a conspiracy to help form the Janata Dal (Secular)-Bharatiya Janata Party Government earlier in a hushed up manner. I will not comment on that. But I can only tell that there will be direct talks this time before the formation of the new government.”

He declined to elaborate on his statement as well as queries regarding transfer of power. “Already, several people including the media have been creating confusion over the transfer of power. Why should I add to that confusion by discussing the issue again?” Mr. Gowda remarked in a lighter vein.

Replying to queries, Mr. Gowda denied reports that he was planning to join the National Democratic Alliance, headed by the BJP.

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