Govt misleading people through Guv’s address: Kamath

Bengaluru: The State government is attempting to mislead the public by claiming that there are no problems and that everything is fine, through the Governor’s address, which is a tragedy for democracy, MLA Vedavyas Kamath said in the Assembly on Friday.

Participating in the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor’s address, Kamath said the State is, in reality, reeling under a series of problems. He pointed out that people have been severely affected by the continuous rise in prices of essential commodities over the last two-and-a-half years.

He said residents in urban areas are frustrated over issues related to jail jammers and e-khata, and are venting their anger against the government. “The government announced free rice, but ration shops are now displaying ‘no stock’ boards. Even eligible beneficiaries have had their BPL cards cancelled in my constituency,” he alleged.

Referring to the fisheries sector, Kamath said that despite announcements in the Budget, essential facilities such as sea ambulances to protect fishermen have not been provided. He added that there is no dredging mission and that projects including fishing jetties, cruises and floating jetties remain unimplemented. The hike in land rent at ports has also adversely impacted tourism, he said.

Kamath further alleged irregularities in the Ayush medicine supply in Mangaluru, excise-related scams, the Valmiki Corporation case, the MUDA scam, the labour department kit scam and irregularities in the procurement of garbage-clearing machines. He claimed that bribery has become rampant in transfers across departments.

He also accused the government of diverting funds earmarked for the welfare of SC/ST communities to fund guarantee schemes, while failing to release grants to the Narayana Guru and Bunt corporations, thereby doing injustice to backward classes. “How can such a government ask the Governor to project it as an example of good governance?” Kamath questioned.