Shivamogga: Shivamogga City MLA SN Channabasappa on Wednesday said that Phase II of the Shivamogga city drinking water project will be implemented shortly.Speaking to reporters, the BJP MLA said that 24 acres have been identified and funding decisions are slated for the upcoming KUWSDB meeting. “I have discussed the project with the urban development secretary,” he stated.Furthermore, while welcoming govt’s decision to raise the annual income ceiling for social security pensions from Rs 32,000 to Rs 1.20 lakh to benefit nearly 23.44 lakh pensioners across the state, Channabasappa urged the administration to clear month-long pension arrears. He also sought that the officials address the severe backlog of over 10,000 pending land survey and podi applications in Shivamogga district by recruiting surveyors to fill vacant posts.Meanwhile, he launched a scathing attack on the state govt, accusing the ruling Congress administration of sacrificing valuable time of the legislative assembly session to shield minister B Nagendra instead of addressing critical public grievances. Alleging that a govt which came to power promising corruption-free administration is now standing firmly behind an accused minister, Channabasappa expressed dissatisfaction over the session ending two days ahead of schedule, leaving major concerns like the KPSC examination scam and the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation scam unaddressed while students, farmers, poor citizens, and pensioners were left unheard.
