BJP seeks special task force to combat drug menace in Coastal Karnataka

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The Dakshina Kannada district unit of Bharatiya Janata Party has placed a set of demands before the cabinet meeting in Mangaluru on Friday, including setting up a special task force to combat the drug menace in Coastal Karnataka.

In a letter addressed to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, the BJP district unit said the region has a good number of temples, namely Dharmasthala Manjunatha, Kukke Subrahmanya, Udupi Shri Krishna, Kollur Mookambika, Kapu Mariyamma, Polali Shri Rajarajeshwari, Kateel Durgaparameshwari and the adjoining Shringeri and Horanadu temples, to which people come from different parts of the country. There is a need for a special temple tourism package to improve connectivity to these places, in addition to making the region free from drugs.

With regard to the Kasturirangan committee report on the Western Ghats, the State Government should earmark a zero-buffer zone by leaving out residential areas and agricultural lands in the region.

A special grant should be sanctioned for a permanent resolution of the sea erosion problem in Ullal. Land should be allotted to build a fishing jetty off the Nethravathi river in Ullal Uliya. Dredging should be done at the estuary in Mangaluru and in the Nethravathi and Gurupura rivers for the smooth movement of fishing and country boats. Fishermen running country boats should be provided with kerosene at an affordable cost. The much-promised sea ambulance facility is yet to become a reality. Though the government announced a zero interest loan of ₹3 lakh to women engaged in fishing, the same is not being given by banks as the government has so far not earmarked the necessary grant.

The Government Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru gets patients from across Karnataka and Kerala. There is a need to increase the present ICU bed strength by 250. The government should take steps to provide sand at an affordable cost to the public as a truckload of sand is presently priced between ₹25,000 and ₹30,000, the BJP district unit said.

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