Khader hails budget, urges local MLAs to cooperate

Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada district minister UT Khader on Saturday slammed the BJP for staging a protest and subsequent walkout, even as chief minister H D Kumaraswamy read the state budget for 2019-20 on Friday.
Lashing out at the seven BJP MLAs from Dakshina Kannada, Khader said if the district wants progress, it is the responsibility of these MLAs to keep the demands and issues of the district before the government. He requested the MLAs to prioritise the needs of the district, and the demands of the people here, over petty interests of the party they represent.

Khader said it is in the best interest of the people of Karnataka that the tabled budget be discussed and subsequently passed.

Lauding the budget, Khader said the government had laid enough emphasis on development in Dakshina Kannada.

Regarding the proposal for introduction of metro services in the district, he said a feasibility report will be brought out in the coming days and the consequences of the project will be studied. He said though the project may take off only after five-six years, it would be a good exercise to conduct a feasibility survey beforehand.

Khader, also the minister for urban development and housing, told reporters that the study will also be conducted on the proposed Manipal-Konaje health and knowledge corridor. The project, he said, would promote the erstwhile twin districts of Dakshina Kannada in fields of transport, telecommunication and education, among others, and will help route more funds into the two districts.