The Hindu 03.12.2009
Suresh Kumar: Tumkur CMC will be upgraded
Special Correspondent
| ‘The city has met all the criteria to secure corporation tag’ |
Cabinet may take a decision on the issue today
There are eight city corporations in the State
Bangalore: The Tumkur City Municipal Council will be soon upgraded to a city corporation, Minister for Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs S. Suresh Kumar has said.
Addressing presspersons here, the Minister said Tumkur city had met all the criteria to get the corporation tag. The city’s population had crossed three lakh and the city municipal council earned an annual income of over Rs. 6 crore. Further, more than 50 per cent of the city’s activities were non-agricultural, he said.
The State Cabinet, which would meet on Thursday, might decide on the issue. Currently, there are eight city corporations: Bangalore, Mangalore, Mysore, Belgaum, Bellary, Hubli-Dharwad, Davangere and Shimoga.
In view of elections to the Legislative Council from the local authorities constituencies, Mr. Suresh Kumar said that several legislators had sought postponement of the legislature session, scheduled to start on December 14. The Cabinet would decide on that, he added.
The Government had planned to introduce a Bill in the coming session of the legislature to check slaughter of cows and draught cattle. The Bill would be in consonance with Article 48 of the Constitution, which had a specific reference to slaughter of milch and draught animals, he said.
A workshop on draft urban policy would be organised in Mysore on Friday, and mayors, presidents and vice-presidents of CMCs and TMCs would be invited to provide suggestions. Based on it, a final draft of the policy would be released in mid-January, the Minister said.
Courts
On the setting up of civil courts at the hobli level for speedy settlement of cases, Mr. Suresh Kumar said the Government had not yet discussed the issue. The establishment of “gram nyayalayas” at the hobli level would be delayed. The Centre had suggested that States set up “gram nyayalayas”, he said.
A few months ago, Home Minister V.S. Acharya said that the courts would become functional by Rajyotsava. There are 745 hoblis in the State.
