Udupi: The Bharatiya Janata Party, staged a protest against the State government “which has failed to ensure license processing for building and house constructions through the gram panchayats”, at the Jatka Stand near Service Bus Stand here on March 28.
Addressing the protesters Uday Kumar Shetty former district president of BJP and present working committee member of State BJP said that there are nearly 5,629 gram panchayats in the State and 146 gram panchayats in the district. The gram panchayats have stopped issuing licenses for construction of houses since the last 3-4 months.
The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department has issued notice to all the gram panchayats directing that rural local bodies should stop issuing license to construction works. The notice was issued following the High Court ban order to Narikombu gram panchayat in Bantwal taluk. However, government failed to realise that the ban order was issued by HC only for Narikombu gram panchayat, he added.
As many as 2.5 lakh applications are pending in the State, whereas 14,000 applications are pending in the district pertaining to construction of houses and other structures.
He alleged that gram panchayats polls are scheduled in May and poll dates would be announced in another 10-20 days following which licensing or implementation of development works would be stopped. Shetty alleged that the State government has failed to realise the gravity of the issue.
The panchayats have also stopped issuing RTC to immovable assets under 9 and 11 and transfer of accounts pertaining to RTC. The people who are into construction of houses should complete the work before commencement of monsoon.
Udupui-Chikkamagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje alleged that the Siddaramaiah government has totally failed to address the problems of the common man in the state. Chief Minister was making tall claims about development projects; she alleged that in reality, all development works in the State have come to a standstill. She demanded that the government should immediately interfere and solve the problems and take measures to ensure license processing for building and house constructions through the gram panchayats.
Former minister MLC Kota Srinivas Poojary in his message said that the High Court had ordered that all Gram Panchayats should have by-laws for issuing building licences in rural areas. He said if not the Gram Panchayats, the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) could formulate the by-laws for issuing building licences. But neither the Gram Panchayats nor the Department had taken any action on this issue for the last three months. With the result, there were at least 100 applications for building licences pending in every Gram Panchayat. Though he had brought the matter to the notice of the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister, H K Patil, nothing had happened. The Ministry should immediately formulate the by-laws, he said.
Udupi district BJP Chief Thingale Vikramarjuna Hegde, ZP member Githanjali Suvarna, former MLA Raghupathi Bhat other BJP leaders like Katapadi Shekar Poojary, Sheela K Shetty, Ganesh Udyavar, Sunitha Naika, Shymala Kundar, Yashpal Suvarna, Ranjith Salian and others were present.