From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Sep 24: The long-awaited Bangalore Metro Rail could be a ‘Deepavali’ gift to the people of the city, Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said on Saturday, indicating that the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has agreed to inaugurate the project soon.
The Chief Minister thanked the Centre and the Railways for according the safety certification to the Metro Rail, clearing the decks for the launch of the 9-km long Phase I (Byappanahalli to MG Road) of the project.
Speaking to the media, Gowda said he had called Dr Manmohan Singh soon after he became the Chief Minister and requested him to dedicate the metro rail to the nation.
He said the inauguration tentatively scheduled to be held around the Ganesha festival had been postponed on account of the Prime Minister’s visit to Bangladesh. Subsequently, when requests for fixing the date were discussed, the Prime Minister’s forthcoming visit to the US has come in the way.
"We expect a response from the PMO within three or four days indicating a date for the inauguration," the Chief Minister said.
A senior minister has been assigned with the task of interacting with the PMO and getting a date for the Prime Minister’s visit to Bangalore to inaugurate the metro project, he said.
Knowledge Commission’s term extended by 2 years
The term of the Karnataka Knowledge Commission headed by Dr Kasturi Rangan, which was set up by the previous government for bringing about reforms in the educational sector, has been extended by two years till 2013.
The Kasturi Rangan panel’s term was due to end on September 30.
The Commission had submitted a total of 60 recommendations pertaining to the educational sector. Of these, as many as 12 had been fully implemented and another 22 were under various stages of implementation, he said.
The Chief Minister indicated that Dr Kasturi Rangan had submitted his resignation soon after the resignation of the previous Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, who had set up the commission for a term of three years. Soon after learning about the development, he had requested Dr Kasturi Rangan to reconsider his decision and continue in office.
He thanked Dr Kasturi Rangan for agreeing to accept his latest request to continue for another term of two years as the valuable suggestions offered by the panel were very useful and beneficial to the State.