Karnataka Govt Withdraws Parks Amendment Bill After Oppn Backlash

(MENAFN- AsiaNet News)

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday said the state government has decided to withdraw the proposed Parks Amendment Bill for now and reintroduce it in the next Assembly session after placing it in the public domain for discussion and consultation.

Parameshwara said the amendment had been introduced in the Cabinet with a provision to acquire five per cent of land for public purposes, but alleged that the Opposition had created misconceptions about the proposal. "We had introduced a bill in the last Cabinet. We had brought an amendment to the Government Parks and Parks Preservation Act. In that, we had brought an Act to acquire five per cent of the land for public purposes. There was not much discussion on it. None of the Opposition members raised any objections. Instead, they used it politically and created misconceptions about it among the public," Parameshwara said.

"Therefore, we have decided to withdraw the bill for now, put it in the public domain, allow it to be discussed, and reintroduce it again. We'll reintroduce the bill in the next session," he added.

The Deputy Chief Minister was speaking after a Cabinet briefing and outlined several decisions taken by the Karnataka government.

Dedicated Global Investment and Overseas Affairs Department

Parameshwara said the Cabinet has approved the establishment of a dedicated Global Investment and Overseas Affairs Department to coordinate matters relating to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), foreign delegations, overseas engagement and investment facilitation. He said the terminology "Foreign Affairs" could be changed, with the department likely to be referred to as the Department of Global Investment and Overseas Affairs.

The department will deal with NRI welfare, including the issuance of NRI cards, while also facilitating visits by foreign delegations, partnerships, collaborations and investments in Karnataka. "Foreign delegations and investors come to the state with expectations of partnerships, collaborations and investments. The department will facilitate their meetings with the Chief Minister, receive their proposals and forward them to the concerned administrative departments for necessary action," Parameshwara said.

He said there had been instances where foreign investors visiting Karnataka were left waiting without adequate attention, eventually becoming disappointed and choosing other states or countries for their investments. "To prevent this from happening and to provide a dedicated mechanism to facilitate foreign investment and engagement, the Cabinet has approved the creation of a separate department," he said.

The initiative will also cover global research and development, innovation and R & D facilities, cultural exchanges and cultural diplomacy, soft power and intangible exchanges, sports diplomacy, sister-city and inter-city partnerships, as well as healthcare, medical and tourism collaborations. A State Facilitation Council will also be established for this purpose. Chief Minister D K Shivakumar will be the Chairman, while Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara will be the Vice-Chairman. Ministers from departments including Industries, Agriculture, Horticulture, IT/BT, Urban Development, Bengaluru Development, Higher Education, Power, Health, Sports and Medical Education will also be part of the council.

Electric Public Transport

On electric public transport, Parameshwara said the Central Government has approved electric buses of various models under the PM E-DRIVE scheme, with tenders awarded to six companies. He said Karnataka is expected to get around 4,500-4,600 electric buses, with each bus costing approximately Rs 1.2 crore to Rs 1.5 crore.

According to Parameshwara, the buses will remain under the ownership of the state government, while the selected companies will be responsible for their operation, maintenance and related responsibilities. "The buses will belong to the State Government. The government will retain ownership, while the concerned companies will be responsible for the operation and maintenance and related responsibilities, with the state handling the allocation," he said.

Regional Connectivity Scheme (UDAN)

The Cabinet has also given in-principle approval for Karnataka's participation in the modified Regional Connectivity Scheme (UDAN) notified by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Parameshwara said air connectivity under UDAN had earlier been extended to several Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, but services to some destinations, including Kalaburagi, were discontinued after the government support or subsidy period ended.

He said the scheme has now been modified and will apply to locations where airports are already available. "The Cabinet has accorded in-principle approval for the participation of the Government of Karnataka in the modified Regional Connectivity Scheme notified by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and has approved the execution of a State Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of India and the Airports Authority of India (AAI)," he said.

VTU Development

The Cabinet has also approved a proposal to develop Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) at an estimated cost of Rs 249 crore, on the lines of an IIT. Parameshwara said around Rs 600 crore had been received from the Central Government, but the funds were subsequently taken over by the Finance Department. "The Finance Department had taken the VTU's funds. They took it to Delhi, asking why VTU had so much money with it. The VTU administration had approached the court, and has now got its money back," he said.

He said the funds were returned following the court's direction and that the government would use the recovered amount for the development of the university. "After the court's direction, the Central Government returned the money. We will be giving the money to the college from that amount," Parameshwara said.

The decisions come as the Karnataka government seeks to strengthen investment facilitation, expand electric public transport, improve regional air connectivity and upgrade higher education infrastructure in the state. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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