Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda speaking at the inauguration ceremony of Praja Soudha at Padil in Mangaluru on Friday.
| Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH

Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said on Friday that the new district offices complex, Praja Soudha, in Padil, symbolises the developmental work the State government has carried out in Dakshina Kannada in the last two years.

Speaking at the inauguration of Praja Soudha, Mr. Gowda said construction started in 2018 and stopped in 2019. No work was done until 2023. Criticising the BJP Government for the delay in completing the work, Mr. Gowda said the place was in bad shape and appeared like an urban forest. He, along with the district in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, visited the place and transformed it within two years. This aesthetic and majestic building was built at a cost of ₹75 crores.

“We dedicate this building to the people of Dakshina Kannada. It symbolises the development we have carried out here in the last two years. The government stands committed to the development of the region and other parts of the State in the next three years,” he said.

The old office of the Deputy Commissioner, a heritage structure, will be developed as a cultural centre. A new museum will also be built here. The government has taken up the work and has earmarked ₹2 crore, he said.

As part of the ongoing ‘Podi-free’ campaign, Mr. Gowda said the government has planned to issue RTCs to over 80,000 farmers by resolving legal problems related to the lands in the next 18 months.

District in-charge Minister Mr. Rao said the government does not favour any community or caste and is committed to maintaining peace and tranquillity in the region. The government will act as per law and take strict action against those who deliver inflammatory speeches. Developmental works in the region will be done in an apolitical way, he said.

Speaker U.T. Khader thanked the State government for the grant of over ₹1,000 crore for developmental works in the Ullal Assembly constituency.

Indoor stadium

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the indoor sports complex for badminton and kabaddi, which was built at a cost of ₹33 crore by Mangaluru Smart City Limited. Mr. Siddaramaiah participated in the Urs of Seyyid Muhammad Shareeful Madani Dargah in Ullal. He said the government would function according to constitutional values by treating everyone with equanimity. “We are humans first, then Indians and then known by the community we belong to,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.