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Karnataka Janata Dal urges Centre to clear Cogentrix

The ruling Janata Dal in Karnataka urged the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre not to adopt a "stepmotherly" attitude to major infrastructure projects like the 1,000 mega-watt Cogentrix power plant near Mangalore, but clear them at the earliest.

BJP spokesman K H Srinivas said in Bangalore on Monday that the Centre should extend support to such projects vital for the state's development. It also wanted the Centre to clear the international airport project near Devanahalli at the earliest. Media reports indicated that the Karnataka government is likely to persuade the Tatas to go in for a fresh memorandum of understanding and revive the project.

(The Tatas had earlier announced their decision to withdraw their applications for both the proposed Tata airline and the airport project.)

The office-bearers also expressed concern over the hike in power rates and decided to set up a committee, headed by party president B L Shankar, to have a relook into the entire gamut of power sector and submit a report soon. The Dal government should implement the report, he said.

It also urged the party government to impress upon the Centre to release funds for the tobacco board so that it could purchase the produce from growers at the support price as ITC, which had virtually a monopoly, had not lifted the produce.

UNI