New Delhi: On Thursday, Hassan MP Shreyas Patel met Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in Delhi, and discussed the tourism and development issues of Hassan district and submitted a letter of request to the Minister.
In the letter, it was mentioned that Belur and Halebidu temples were protected monuments, but residents were not being given permission to develop their houses.
Due to this, they were facing a lot of problems, he said, and petitioned the Minister to resolve this issue.
Traditional tourism destinations of Karnataka such as Belur, Halebidu and Shravanabelagola were very popular, the MP said, and has requested the Central government to develop a comprehensive tourism circuit to include these destinations under the Swadesh Darshan scheme of the Union Government.
“I have requested the Minister to develop the most beautiful and historical Madaga Lake in Hassan district, spread over more than 2,000 acres, as a tourism destination,” he told the media in Delhi.
The Union Tourism Minister has accepted all these requests and has assured a positive response. If these come through, the tourism sector of Hassan is set to reach new levels.
Meeting with Gadkari
On the same day, the Hassan MP also met Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari and held discussions with him on the various development projects in the district and submitted a request for approval of road development under the Bharat Mala scheme.
“I have submitted a request to the Union Minister regarding the development of the Hassan-Hiriyur Economic Corridor, which is part of the Hassan-Raichur Economic Corridor,” he said.
“This proposed highway will connect Hassan, Tumkur and Chitradurga districts and will make freight transport and the traffic system more efficient. I have submitted a request to the Minister for the speedy completion of the Hassan-Hiriyur Highway project, which is currently in the DPR stage,” he added.
He said the Minister had responded positively to his requests and work on the same was expected to gain speed.
Meeting with Forests Minister
MP Shreyas Patel also met Union Minister for Forests and Environment Bhupendra Yadav in New Delhi on Friday and requested him to take action to prevent human-wildlife conflict in Hassan district.
In the last 21 years, as many as 71 people have died in elephant attacks in Belur, Sakleshpur and Alur in Hassan district. This is a serious problem and there is an urgent need to find a solution to this, he said. Elephants roaming in groups in Sakleshpur, Alur, and these areas are also destroying crops grown in farmers’ gardens and fields in Bikkodu and Harehalli areas of Belur taluk.
The MP explained to the Minister that a group of more than 30 elephants has been attacking and killing many farmers, leading to a situation where people are living in fear of their lives.
For this, he appealed to the Minister to take steps to ensure that elephants get the necessary water system in the forest area, plant trees that provide fodder, and grow bamboo, which is loved by elephants, in large quantities, and to take appropriate measures to address human-elephant conflict.
The Minister, on his part, responded positively and promised to provide a solution to the problem.
