Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has stated that a decision on the proposed steel plant by Baldota company would be taken after reviewing the detailed report submitted by the Koppal Deputy Commissioner.
He made this announcement in a media conference at Hosapete in Vijayanagara district on May 16 when reporters drew his attention to concerns that work on the proposed plant was continuing despite the Chief Minister’s orders for cessation.
On Greater Bengaluru
Addressing criticism from Leader of Opposition Assembly R. Ashok regarding the Greater Bengaluru initiative, Siddaramaiah clarified that the plan to divide Bengaluru into multiple municipal corporations was conceived by the BJP’s then Urban Development Minister S. Suresh Kumar.
“Managing Bengaluruy under a single municipal corporation is deemed impractical considering the city’s burgeoning population of 1.5 crore. During my previous tenure as Chief Minister, a committee comprising B.S. Patil and Siddaiah was formed to explore this issue. Now, we came to power again, and my government is committed to implementing this plan for administrative efficiency,” he said.
Gangavati by-election
When asked about the disqualification of Gangavati MLA G. Janardhana Reddy after being convicted to seven years in prison by a CBI special court in Hyderabad in an illegal mining case, Mr. Siddaramaiah stated that Mr. Reddy’s seven-year prison sentence automatically disqualified him from membership of the Assembly.
“I am confident that the Congress will win the upcoming by-election in Gangavati. People are well aware of our government’s achievements and commitment,” he said.
Reiterating his long-standing opposition to illegal mining and recalling his padyatra (walk on foot) from Bengaluru to Ballari during his tenure as Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that those involved in illegal mining must be punished, and such activities must cease.
Dismissing Mr. Reddy’s claim that he [Siddaramaiah] had helped him [Mr. Reddy] win the Assembly election in 2023, the Chief Minister called it an ‘utterly false statement’.
“He [Mr. Reddy] is from BJP. How can I help him? I have consistently been opposing the ideology of the BJP and RSS throughout my political career,” he said.
Responding allegations that the government’s guarantee schemes were not reaching beneficiaries effectively, the Chief Minister asserted that there is no shortage of funds for the schemes. “Like last year, sufficient funds have been allocated for the scheme in the current budget,” he said.
The Chief Minister was in Hosapete to take stock of preparations for the Sadhana Samavesha, a public rally to be conducted in the city on May 20 to mark the completion of two years of Congress governance in Karnataka. He said that the event is expected to draw approximately three lakh people from across Karnataka.
Published – May 16, 2025 04:36 pm IST
