Urban News

The Hindu  18.11.2010

Rs. 16 crore for Puttur road project

Staff Correspondent

Rs. 3,000 crore to be set aside for Stree Shakti groups

PUTTUR: Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa said here on Wednesday that the State Government would sanction Rs. 16 crore for upgrading 8-km stretch of Mura-Sampya Road via Puttur into four lane.

Saris

The Chief Minister was here to distribute saris and issue bonds under the Bhagyalakshmi scheme.

He said that the Government would sanction Rs. 1 crore for development work at Mahalingeshwar temple in Puttur. It would release Rs. 50 lakh in a few days, the Chief Minister said. The remaining amount would be released depending on the progress of work.

Loans

The Government would reserve Rs. 500 crore for giving loans to poor vendors and hawkers in urban areas at a low interest rate. Mr. Yeddyurappa, who distributed saris and bonds under the Bhagyakshmi scheme at a function here, said vendors and hawkers who sell fruits and flowers in push carts and those depending on minor works in cities and towns had been forced to approach moneylenders.

Their families suffered as moneylenders charged high rate of interest.

The Government would advance loans at low interest rate to help poor people from such sections of society.

Stree Shakti groups

The Chief Minister said the State had 1.25 lakh Stree Shakti self-help groups.

A proposal to strengthen them by providing Rs. 3,000 crore as additional grant for the next three years would be placed before the next Cabinet meeting.

t would help 10 lakh women in the State.

Bhavans

Mr. Yeddyurappa said the Government would build Stree Shakti bhavans in the State for marketing the products manufactured by women's self-help groups.

Women can sell their products in those bhavans at competitive rates.

Incidentally at the function, he laid the foundation stone for building district Stree Shakti Bhavan at Bejai in Mangalore at an estimated cost of Rs. 65 lakh. A Stree Shakti Bhavan built at an estimated cost of Rs. 32 lakh at Puttur was inaugurated on the occasion.

Bonds

He said the Government had decided to send bonds to beneficiaries of Bhagyalakshmi scheme through post. This was being done to ensure transparency.

Pension

The Chief Minister said that he would, in a fortnight, decide on extending pension and retirement benefits to anganawadi workers and increasing their monthly honorarium.

Minister for Women and Child Welfare C.C. Patil and Minister for Energy Shoba Karandlaje spoke.

Minister for Higher Education V.S. Acharya, Mangalore MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and Chikmagalur-Udupi MP D.V. Sadananda Gowda were present.

The Deccan Herald  18.11.2010

RWA voices concern over road-widening

Bangalore, Nov 17, DHNS

The Residents’ Welfare Association of Bangalore East has urged the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike to modify the road-widening plans at Banaswadi.

At a meeting with the local corporator on Tuesday, the members of the RWA sought a solution for the bottleneck at Marutiseva Nagar flyover before taking up the widening project. The residents sought to evict hawkers to ensure free pedestrian movement on the road. It has been proposed to widen a five-kilometre stretch of the Banaswadi main road. Corporator Rajendran promised to take up the matter.

The residents also voiced their concern over Transfer Development Rights proposed for the people who would lose their property for road-widening. RWA secretary Ramesh said they had been demanding monetary compensation on a par with market rate. Palike Executive Engineer R Rajesh said the road-widening project cannot be dropped. The width will have to
be increased to 24 metres from the present 12 metres to ease traffic congestion.