CM announces govt. medical colleges in all districts, including Vijayapura

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced in Vijayapura on Friday that the State government will take steps to see that government medical colleges are established in all districts, including Vijayapura.

“The demand for a medical college in Vijayapura has been pending for some time. The erstwhile BJP government decided to open a medical college under PPP mode. However, this proposal faced resistance. Some of you even protested against this. Ministers M.B. Patil and Shivanand Patil have appealed to me to start a government medical college here. I want to tell you today that we will not set up PPP model colleges. We will open a government medical college not only in Vijayapura but also in all those districts that do not have medical colleges. We will also establish trauma centres and super-speciality hospitals in all districts,” he said.

He was speaking after launching several development works taken up by various departments.

“I want to appeal to all of you that there is no need to protest for this purpose. Anyway, it was not our government that mooted the PPP model but the BJP government. But we will not adopt this model. I assure you that the State government will set up and run medical colleges in all the districts,” he said.

The Vijayapura Government Medical College Agitation Committee members have been on strike for over 110 days. At a recent protest, activists tried to storm the residence of Minister M.B. Patil. The police booked criminal cases against 27 protestors. Of them, six, including Sri Sanganabasava Swami and Dalit ideologue Anil Hosmani, are still in jail.

“Karnataka has 71 medical colleges, of which 22 are government colleges. I have always supported the setting up of government medical colleges. I have upheld the principle of setting up government medical colleges in all the districts, when I was the Chief Minister the first time and when I was the Deputy Chief Minister also,” he said.

He responded to the demand by MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal saying that the State government will take up construction of the flyover between Kanakadasa Circle to Ambedkar Circle and Shivaji Circle in Vijayapura city.

Mr. Yatnal has presented a long list of demands. But the most important of them is the flyover. It will be taken up soon, he said.

“This is Mr. Yatnal’s constituency and he has his followers. But then, you are our followers also. Your blessings made us win 136 seats in the Assembly elections and come to power. In Vijayapura, we won six out of eight seats,” he said.

Mr. Siddaramaiah also traced the valour and patriotism of Kittur Channamma and Sangolli Rayanna.

“They led a struggle against the British in 1824, 33 years before the First War of Independence of 1857. All of you know that the British could continue to rule this country only with the connivance or subservience of some local rulers. But Kittur Channamma was not like them. She did not fear the British but faced them with courage. She defeated British officer (St. John) Thackeray and lived with self-respect,” he said.

Ministers, MLAs, MLCs and others felicitated him on surpassing the record of D. Devaraj Urs as the longest serving Chief Minister of the State.

“This has been possible only because of your blessings and the blessings of the Congress high command and leaders like Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. I thank all of them and the people of the State for this,” he said.

He made a brief speech and said that he is leaving early. He also apologised to the people for arriving late.

“It is my fault that I arrived late and not yours. I am sorry I arrived late. But I have to leave early as I need to take off soon,” he said.

Mr. Siddaramaiah inaugurated and laid foundation stone for various development works taken up by the Vijayapura district administration and Zilla Panchayat.

The works inaugurated included one estimated at ₹80 crore. Foundation stone was laid for works worth over ₹730 crore.

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Ministers M.B. Patil, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, H.C. Mahadevappa, Shivanand Patil and Byrati Suresh and MLA Basavanagouda Patil Yatnal, Shri Vachanananda Swami, Matoshree Yogeshwari Mataji, Shri Abhinava Sangana Basava Shivacharya Swami, members of the maternal home of Kittur Channamma from Jambagi A village and others were present.