Chief Minister Siddaramaiah addressed a huge gathering after laying the foundation stone for Bagalkot Medical College and Research Institute in Bagalkot on Saturday (March 14). | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reiterated the state government’s commitment to redress regional imbalances in North Karnataka and said his government had lived up to its word. He also promised to release additional grants for the third phase of the Upper Krishna Project (UKP).
He was addressing a public gathering after laying the foundation stone for Bagalkot Medical College and Research Institute and inaugurating various development works in Bagalkot on Saturday (March 14). The chief minister also started the process of paying compensation to farmers whose land is being acquired for the third phase of the project.
Mr. Siddaramaiah also said that the Government Medical College in Bagalkot was established due to the efforts of HY Meti, MLA and former minister. “The announcement of the establishment of the medical faculty was made in the 2025 budget and now the foundation stone has been laid. It has nothing to do with the by-election,” he clarified.
The Chief Minister said that after the Congress came to power in the state, various districts were being developed through several projects. “We plan to set up a medical college and a trauma center in each district. The process of setting up is already underway in 25 districts. Next year, steps will be taken to set up a super-specialty hospital here,” he noted.
‘Far From The Truth’
The Chief Minister said that the BJP’s claim that the government does not have funds for development is far from the truth. “We have given equal priority to guarantee schemes and development. Every ₹ 50,000 crore is spent on guarantee schemes and so far ₹ 1.22 lakh crore has been spent. Even though the BJP has been in power for four years, it never thought of setting up a medical college in Bagalkot. Only creating enmity on the basis of religion and caste is their small fide.
Mr Siddaramaiah said the BJP never showed interest in paying compensation for the land acquired for the UKP and as a result the farmers did not come forward to part with their land. “However, now the Congress government has decided to provide compensation to farmers all at once. In this year’s budget, a total of ₹ 3,000 crore has been earmarked for the third phase of the UKP. Besides, steps will be taken to allocate additional funds. Farmers who volunteer to give up their land will get ₹ 40 irrigated land for ₹ 3 lakh irrigated land. However, BJP leaders are engaged in spreading the word,” he alleged.
The Chief Minister said that a compensation of ₹446 crore would be paid for the acquisition of 900 acres in eight villages under the UKP.
He went on to say that while the Congress government is keeping its word, the Union government, despite repeated requests, has not given permission for the state’s irrigation and drinking water projects, including UKP, Mahadayi and others.
The Chief Minister also claimed that while an irrigation notification was issued for an irrigation project in Gujarat despite a dispute, a gazette notification was not issued for the UKP even though there was no legal dispute. Similarly, permissions are not being granted for the Mahadayi project, though there is no case in court, he said.
Pressure center AP: DKS
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that Andhra Pradesh is pressuring the Union government not to give approval for the acquisition of land for the third phase of UKP and now Maharashtra is also opposing the project. “To present the ground reality, we are going to Delhi on Tuesday (March 17) and will meet all the MPs,” he said.
On Saturday (March 14), Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar visited Sri Jagadguru Siddarameshwar Mahasamsthana Bovi Guru Peetha at Navanagar in Bagalkot and sought the diviner’s blessings.
Published – 14 March 2026 20:03 IST
