Reply to Charge sheet: Raghupathi Bhat making Baseless Allegations against me – Pramod Madhwaraj
Udupi: In a counter-attack against the BJP Udupi and former MLA Raghupathi Bhat the district minister in-charge and Udupi MLA Pramod Madhwaraj responded to the Charge sheet by BJP.
Addressing the media persons Pramod Madhwaraj said, “The former MLA Raghupathi Bhat has made various allegations against me and said that there has been no development in Udupi constituency during my 5-year tenure. First of all he is facing serious allegations and was denied the Party ticket in last assembly elections. He has faced major allegations in the last elections, what moral right does he have to release a charge sheet against me?” Pramod questioned.
Pramod further said, “In the last 4 years and 10 months, I have brought Rs 2026 crore grant to the Udupi constituency for development. The surveys taken by Times of India and Prajavani have shown that I am the first MLA who has developed the constituency. During the Assembly elections, I have released vision 2025 and have also succeeded to fulfil the majority of the promises made. Raghpathi Bhat has served as MLA two times and failed to upgrade the Udupi Ajjarkad government hospital as the district hospital. When Udupi district was created out of the undivided Dakshina Kannada, it then had a taluk government hospital. Though it is 18 years since Udupi became a district, it still does not have a district government hospital. The taluk hospital itself is being called a district hospital though facilities and staff have not been upgraded. After our government came to power, it has upgraded the taluk government hospital here to a district hospital. We have also started the District Ayush Hospital, new mortuary, Water Supply and Sanitary system in the Udupi district hospital”.
“When Oscar Fernandes was the union minister I had planned to bring Rs 500 crore to build a multi-speciality hospital in Udupi. Later the UPA government lost the Lok Sabha elections and the Modi government came to power and our dream has not been fulfilled. The women and child hospital had only 70 beds and was insufficient to the increasing number of patients, Dr B R Shetty has come forward to construct the hospital within one year and offer free services to the poor. The 200-bed hospital will offer free healthcare service to BPL card holders, Universal Card holders and those having medical insurance. The 6-floor building fully air-conditioned hospital has already opened and the outpatient section has been functioning. The inpatient section will begin soon. This is the first air-conditioned hospital in the country which is giving free service to the poor”, he added.
“The former MLA is alleging that no roads have been upgraded to four lanes. The BJP led NDA government came to power four years back. During the UPA government, we had upgraded the Malpe-Manipal-Thirthalli road as National Highway and present NDA government has not shown any interest to start the road work. Raghupathi Bhat should question MP Shobha to start the NH work and not me”, he said.
Raghupathi Bhat alleged that Pramod has not taken any steps to provide either an agriculture college or post-graduate (PG) centre of Mangalore University for Brahmavar town in Udupi Assembly Constituency. The technical committee of the University has rejected the proposed place which was in Kolalgiri and later it was shifted to Belapu. We have started GTTC college in Uppoor and work is in progress. The GTTC college would be built at a cost of Rs 44 crores. The Government Tool Room and Training Centre (GTTC) would provide skill training under its short-term and long-term courses to students who have passed SSLC so that they could get jobs in various industries, he added.
Pramod stressed, “Raghupathi Bhat is making baseless allegations against me that I am promoting M-Sand. Baseless allegations are levelled against me by those who want to hinder the development in the district. The intentions of those levelling baseless accusations against me are to destroy the sand mining in the district. I do not have any links with M-Sand. A plot of four acres has been identified for the construction of the Mini-Vidhana Soudha at the Old IB area in Varambally, Brahmavar. Rs 75 lakhs has been sectioned for the stadium in Brahmavar Gandhi Maidan which the former MLA had neglected. In the four years 10 months tenure the Siddaramaiah government has released Rs 2025 crore grant for the Udupi Assembly constituency if the former MLA has any doubts he can visit my office and check the documents”, he added.
The 122.25 crore project — to bring water from the Varahi to the Baje dam in Udupi taluk to meet the drinking water needs of Udupi city is in the tender process. While that for the second and third phase of Rs 60 crore and Rs 177.77 crore respectively will be floated within a month.
When asked about the allegations by Raghpathi Bhat that the sports kit was given to various organisations in the state. The sports kit is of poor quality and has been purchased for less amount as against the amount mentioned in the record, Pramod said that for the first time in history 5000 sports kits were distributed to the youth organisations and was praised by all people. Nearly 850 kits were distributed in the Udupi constituency. If the former MLA Raghupathi Bhat is ready to supply the kits for a lower price then the department is ready to approve his tender, Pramod challenged.
Udupi district Congress president Janardhan Tonse, CMC president Meenakshi Madhava, Block president Sathish Ameen Padukere, district Congress secretaries Narasimha Moorthy and Janardhan Bhandarkar were present in the press meet.