Bengaluru, 21 August

Planning and Statistics Minister B Nagendra has been given the additional Kalyana Karnataka Development Ministry as the Opposition continued its protests against the embattled legislator on Friday. 

The Opposition has been protesting in both Houses for five consecutive days, demanding that Nagendra be sacked as a Minister over allegations that he helped embezzle around Rs 89 crore money when he was in charge of the Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation. Nagendra has been named in the chargesheet by the ED and CBI in connection with the case and has been granted bail by a special court. He had resigned from the Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet, but was inducted in the DK Shivakumar-led Council of Minister. 

In a written reply to a question raised by BJP MLC Shashil Namoshi in the Legislative Council, Nagendra clarified that the Minister in charge of the Planning and Statistics Department will head the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Ministry, which was constituted in 2025. 

The Ministry will oversee the functioning of the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB), a key institution tasked with implementing development programmes in the region. 

But as soon as the Assembly, convened for the day the BJP and JD(S) raised the issue and shouted slogans. The BJP had marched to Vidhana Soudha, wearing black shirts, and attempted to barge into the Assembly. 

"Even with the evidence, is it fair for the Congress to disrupt the entire Assembly session just to save one person (Nagendra)?" LoP in the Assembly R Ashoka asked.

Meanwhile, in the Council, Shivakumar said the Opposition was entitled to protest in a democracy but should follow parliamentary procedures. He challenged them to a debate, and said that they might feel uncomfortable if he began naming naming Union and State Ministers against whom cases had been registered in the past.

Pvt streets can be declared public

The Assembly passed three bills, without discussions. Karnataka Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill and the Karnataka Municipalities (Amendment) Bill, passed by the Assembly, empower officials to declare a private street a public street if that private street, including drains, is in poor condition and endangers public safety.

Once the roads are officially recognised, sites and houses in those layouts will be eligible, subject to the prescribed rules, for proper A-Khata records. This will provide property owners with full and legally recognized ownership status, he added.