Bengaluru, Nov 8 (Deccan Chronicle): With the Assembly elections nearing, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday ordered bureaucrats to complete all ongoing pro-people programmes initiated by the government.

Meeting DCs and CEOs of all zilla panchayat here on Tuesday, Siddaramaiah said that the elections may be held in April or May and there is still five more months to complete the projects, which include clearing government land encroachment, housing for SC/ST community, Indira Canteen, ration card distribution, land sanctioning and distribution of land rights to the downtrodden.

"The government plans to build 15 lakh houses in five years. If the beneficiaries are allotted sites early, it will help them take up the construction and complete it on war footing. Officers have to take up this on priority," he said.

In Bengaluru, officials are doing the good work of clearing encroachments of government lands. If officials in districts follow the same pattern, recovered lands can be used for schools, colleges, anganwadis, community halls, hostels and cemeteries, he said.

“The government wants to open 6,000 Bapuji Seva Kendras in every panchayat and works in 514 places have already started. Such centers should be opened in all other panchayats in the next three months,” he said.

“The government wants Indira Canteens in all taluk headquarters. There should be one canteen for one lakh population. Officials can take a decision on opening such canteens even if the population is less. The canteens should be opened at strategic places like bus stands, hospitals, APMC yards etc. If the government land is not available, officials can open mobile canteens or even take some places on rent to open canteens,” he said.

He appealed to the officials to complete the programmes to fulfil 95 percent of the promises made in the election manifesto.

Sources said that the chief minister was calm while addressing the officials. When Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa vent his ire against officials for not clearing applications for land under bagar hukum and Forest Right Act, Mr Siddaramaiah said that the minister was talking with pain on the plight of the poor people and that officials should not take it personally.