Bengaluru: Calling CM Siddaramaiah's tour of drought- hit areas an eyewash, BJP leader Jagadish Shettar on Monday claimed he would get a watered down picture of the situation as officials rushed to set up temporary fodder banks and cattle sheds for his benefit. Also, when the government should have been providing jobs for labourers in drought-hit areas, it was encouraging them to move out to look for employment in towns and cities, he regretted. “The government has issued advertisements in North Karnataka offering bus fare concessions to those migrating in search of jobs when it should have released Rs 10 crore to each Assembly segment to provide jobs for farm labourers. The Centre has spent Rs 2000 crore on this but the state has not released any fund to create jobs in these areas,” he told reporters here.
“However, when the CM arrives for inspection, the officials will create some artificial NAREGA work to make it seem as if there are jobs available,” Mr Shettar alleged. Ridiculing Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s claim that the people received seven hours of power, he said in reality they did not get even two hours of three phase power in these districts.
