From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Apr 11: The state government’s ambitious free sand policy aimed at helping the poor to build houses at low cost will be released by the end of this month, mines and geology minister Murugesh R Nirani announce in Kalaburgi on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters during his election campaign visits, the minister said the aim of the new sand policy is to help the poor and middle classes to build houses at affordable costs.
One of the important features of the new sand policy, the minister said was to supply sand to the poor at Rs 100 per tonne if the cost of the construction of their houses was within Rs 10 lac.
Nirani said the new sand policy is the first of its kind initiative and will become a model for the entire country.
The new policy will help those constructing houses within grama panchayat limits. They will be allowed to transport sand in bullock carts for building their houses from streams, check dams and waterfalls free of cost.
BJP will win all 3 by-elections
Accompanied by his ministerial colleagues Anand Singh, BC Patil, S T Somashekhar and Shivaram Hebbar, he said the BJP will win all the three by-elections for Basavakalyan and Maski assembly constituencies as well as the Belagavi Lok Sabha seats on April 17 with a record margin.
The ministers appealed to the striking employees of the State Road Transport Corporations and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to call off their five-day strike in the interests of the public and also the financial health of their own organisations.
They said chief minister B S Yediyurappa, as well as deputy chief minister and transport minister Laxman Savadi, have already made it clear that the state government is unable to accept the demand for grant of 6th Pay Commission pay scales on par with government employees. However, the government has accepted eight out of the nine demands and has offered to set right any anomalies.
The revision of salaries and allowances as already agreed upon will be implemented after the by-elections in view of the model code of conduct, the ministers said and urged the employees to end their strike and resume work. The striking employees should befall prey to political designs of vested interests, they said.