Mysuru: The people of Cultural City are disappointed as the State budget 2023 – 24 presented by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai did not make an announcement with regard to significant contribution towards the District.
The people of the District had many expectations from the Budget but the budget did not announce any big new projects for District and not even has allocated funds for old projects too. Some of the same old projects are being proposed again!
Central Government projects are also mentioned as State Government projects. The only two new projects are an IVF (test tube baby) clinic that will be set up at the Mysore Institute of Medical Sciences and an international-level State Museum and art gallery to be constructed on a two-and-a-half acre land near the City’s Chamundi Vihara Stadium at a cost of Rs. 10 Crore.
The Chief Minister’s promise has not been fulfilled. There is no new plan for any taluk of the District. On his last visit to District CM Bommai had promised that a garden like KRS will be built in Kabini Reservoir of HD Kote Taluk. The demand to build it on the model of Brindavan did not get a response this time either. Last year, the promise made by the Chief Minister himself when he came to offer Bagina to the Reservoir was not fulfilled.
Government-owned heritage buildings are collapsing in the City which has another name as Heritage City. To prevent this, a conservation plan should have been implemented. This requires ‘financial dynamism’. However, in the Budget, only steps have been taken to preserve the heritage buildings of Mysuru. No grant proposal has been made. The question is how to take action for conservation without money. Mayor Shivakumar said that a grant of Rs. 100 crore was requested.
There are no grants for the construction of Film City in Himmavu on the outskirts of the City. The Government announced to provide a grant of Rs. 2 Crore to one First Grade and Polytechnic Government Colleges which record the highest enrollment under the Vruddhi Scheme to provide infrastructure and make them the best institutions of higher education, in which the District can get funds.
Community-based health screening for early screening and treatment of tuberculosis patients with the help of hand-held x-ray machines in all districts is said to be a step. It has been said that laboratories will be set up in all the districts, especially Mysuru can be considered. It has only been proposed that a Cancer Treatment Centre will be established in Mysuru. The Government has also said that it will submit a proposal to the Centre to upgrade it as a health and wellness centre. It is said that the project will be carried out in private partnership for the construction of an ‘Integrated Township’ in Mysuru. The announcement of Rs. 4128 Crore allocation for construction of the 92-kilometre Mysuru – Kushalnagara Highway Project is also old and Rs. 320 Crore already allotted for this land acquisition. It is said that under the ‘Prasad’ project, the development of Chamundi Hills and the ‘Swadeshi Darshan 2.0′ project will be provided in the premises of the Karnataka Exhibition Authority. Both are Central Government schemes.
It was proposed that a leopard task force be constituted for Mysuru District and approval has been given for the appointment of personnel. No proposal for a grant required for necessary equipment has been made. It is also mentioned that a vehicle inspection and certification centre needs to be set up in Mysuru.
The Chief Minister has dashed people’s expectations that the District will get a bumper contribution through the Budget being presented before the elections. It is being analysed that the neglect of the important District of old Mysuru is likely to have an adverse effect on the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections.
The people expecting the formation of the Dussehra Authority, Mysuru Industrial Town Authority, a grant for the construction work of the stalled export centre in Mysuru, a Special grant of Rs. 100 Crore to the University of Mysore, which has completed its century, and steps taken to fill up the posts of teaching and non-teaching staff.’
Apart from this development of Rashtrakavi Kuvempu House as a memorial, the drinking water supply project for villages around Kabini, Nugu Reservoir, Mysuru City Corporation should be upgraded to a large Municipal Corporation, Mysuru City Bus Stand should be shifted to Rural Bus Stand and Rural Bus Stand to Outskirts, Special grant for newly formed Saraguru and Saligrama taluks of the District.
