MANGALORE, Nov 16: Karnataka chief minister JH Patel on Sunday announced that to improve and streamline the power system in the state, the government had decided to spend Rs 600 crore a year.

Chairing the district development review committee meeting here, he said that streamlining in the power sector had become essential now, besides the completion of various ongoing power projects to improve the power situation. "The situation cannot be improved overnight," he said. Even after spending Rs 600 crore, it may take three to four years to improve the situation, he added.

The chief minister also said that 99 per cent municipalities were in favour of re-introduction of octroi, while the Mangalore City Corporation was against the move. He was ready to exempt the corporation from the purview of octroi. He said the government would give priority for supply of drinking water, education, housing and roads. He also assured Dhananjaya Kumar, MP, and others that additional grants would be provided for repairing roads in the district, badly affected by rains. He said the previous governments had failed to get funds from the centre for protecting sea-erosion and assured that he would take up the matter with the government.

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