Residents of Nagar hobli in Hosanagara taluk raised concerns over stalled development, limited employment opportunities and the impact of surrounding dam backwaters at a public grievance meeting on Saturday, while farmer organisations warned of a boycott after MLA Araga Jnanendra did not arrive on time.
More than 70 petitions were submitted at the Nagar hobli-level Prajaseva programme held at Amrita Vidyalaya. One petition from a group of local youths said the lack of development had become so severe that families were reluctant to arrange marriages for young men from the area.
The petition said Nagar hobli was surrounded by water from submergence areas and had been left underdeveloped. The youths also said that although five dams had been built in the area, employment opportunities remained limited. They referred to concerns linked to the Kasturirangan report and said these factors were contributing to the difficulties faced by local young people.
Tehsildar Bharat Raj accepted the petition and said it would be forwarded directly to the government because it raised broader development issues. Officials from the taluk administration, health, education, public works, electricity, forest, horticulture and child development departments attended the meeting.
The meeting also saw anger among residents and representatives of farmers’ and other organisations over the MLA’s absence. Officials had arrived at 10 am, and people from surrounding villages had brought their petitions to the venue. Residents waited until the afternoon, but the legislator had not arrived by then.
Farmer organisation president G.V. Ravindra said the programme covered about 18,000 people but that fewer than 100 residents appeared to have been informed about it. He questioned the absence of the MLA and said organisations should consider boycotting the meeting because residents also had work and family responsibilities.
Mastikatte Subramanya said the MLA should have attended the meeting personally. He argued that residents could meet taluk officials regularly and that the programme should begin only after the legislator arrived.
The tehsildar asked residents to continue submitting their petitions, saying the MLA would arrive and had instructed officials to receive the applications in the meantime.
Jnanendra arrived later in the afternoon and said the delay was caused by Prajaseva programmes being organised at two locations in Thirthahalli. He said the problem could have been avoided if the Hosanagara and Thirthahalli tehsildars had coordinated the scheduling of the programmes.
Addressing the meeting, Jnanendra said Prajaseva and other government initiatives should not remain limited to announcements and that implementation was equally important. He said government offices should function in a citizen-friendly manner and that officials should consider the time and difficulties of people travelling from distant areas to submit their grievances.
The petitions submitted at the meeting will be sent to the government, according to the tehsildar. The report does not specify a timeline for action on the development and employment-related demands raised by residents.
