Siddaramaiah seeks winter session of assembly in Belagavi

Bengaluru: Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday demanded that the winter session of the state legislature be held in Belagavi hit by floods, saying it will facilitate expediting relief and rehabilitation work.

The state cabinet had on Monday had decided reschedule the assembly session for three days from October 10 to 12 at the Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat here, following the announcement of by-polls to 15 assembly constituencies on October 21.

In a letter to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, the Congress Legislature Party leader cited the postponement of the bypolls and pointed out to the devastation caused by floods in Belagavi and several other parts of the state.

Claiming that relief work was not taking place in affected areas as per expectation, he said it was appropriate to hold assembly session in Belagavi instead of Bengaluru.

This will not only speed up the relief work, but also instill hope among those affected, Siddaramaiah said.

Belagavi, one among the most affected districts in Karnataka in the recent floods, has been hosting the winter session of the legislature since 2006.

The government had recently said the session will be held at ‘Vidhana Soudha’, the state secretariat here, and not in Belagavi, as most parts of the district had been ravaged by floods.

During the three day session, the government has planned for introduction of supplementary budget and its passage.

Soon after proving his government’s majority on the floor of the assembly on July 29, Yediyurappa, who also holds Finance portfolio, had sought a vote on account to spend for the next three months – from August 1 till October 31.