Bengaluru, Oct 23 (IANS) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday said that Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar, has agreed to hold a conference of all ministers in charge of urban development from the southern states in Bengaluru on October 30.

Shivakumar said this while interacting with the media here. Asked if he would press the Central government for funds for Bengaluru’s development, the state Congress president said” “Of course, we will. Since the Union Minister for Urban Development himself will attend this conference, we will place our demands before him. We have already met Union Ministers and the Prime Minister several times seeking grants for Bengaluru.”

Speaking about his recent visits to boundary areas that could be included under the jurisdiction of the ‘Greater Bengaluru Authority (JBA)’, Shivakumar said: “I have visited the border regions of local bodies within Bengaluru Urban District that are eligible to be included under GBA’s limits.”

“Several municipalities and town panchayats fall within this zone. I have convened a meeting of the concerned officials on Friday. Some parts of these areas may, in the coming days, be brought under the jurisdiction of the Bengaluru municipal corporations that fall under GBA. The committee headed by B.S. Patil is preparing a report on which areas can be included under GBA. We have also instructed MLAs, MPs, citizens, and civic organisations to hold discussions on this matter.”

“This weekend, I will meet the public through the ‘Bengaluru Nadige’ (Walk in Bengaluru) programme. Afterwards, we will hold meetings with IT-BT companies, especially in the Mahadevapura and K.R. Puram areas,” he added.

Asked about the deadline for filling potholes, Shivakumar said: “Officials are filling potholes; we have made them responsible. In some places, instead of simply patching potholes, we are laying a fresh layer of road. These works are ongoing continuously. Priority is being given to major areas to complete the work quickly. Since rains have started, we are waiting for them to stop. Once the rain ceases, we will resume the work.”

When asked about CM Siddaramaiah’s son and MLC Yathindra’s remarks on leadership and why no disciplinary action has been taken against certain MLAs, Shivakumar said, “I will not comment on this matter at the moment. I will respond at an appropriate time.”

Regarding reports that the SIT has confirmed the manipulation of 6,000 votes in the Aland constituency, he said, “There is no doubt about it. This was done through the use of phone numbers. Officials had filed complaints about this at that time. The law will take its own course in this case.”

–IANS

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