Maharashtra border in-charge ministers to visit Belagavi on 3 December as dispute with Karnataka heats up

In a major setback to the Maharashtra government, the people of around 40 villages of the Jath taluka of the Sangli district carried out a demonstration demanding the inclusion of the villages in Karnataka.

Villagers share their plight

Expressing displeasure with the Maharashtra government for not carrying out development in border areas, Mahadevappa Ankalgi, a resident of Jath, pointed out, “The border villages do not have proper access to health, education, transportation, and drinking water. The state government is least bothered to improve the basic amenities in the border areas.”

He added: “The roads are so pathetic that neither state-operated nor private buses commute through our villages. We still use bullock carts to travel to towns and cities. We struggle to get a proper drinking water supply in summer.”

Ankalgi, who is spearheading the movement in the Jath region against the Maharastra government, also said: “The villagers’ livelihood is largely dependent on farming. Even after nearly five decades of launching the irrigation project, it is yet to take off in the region. We made exhaustive appeals to the state government to develop the region but it fell on deaf ears.”

He added: “We had approached then Karnataka Chief Minister Sadanadgouda seeking action for the inclusion of 40 border villages of Jath in 2012. However, we did not receive an overwhelming response from the then-chief minister of Karnataka. We will once again approach current Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in the coming days.”

In retaliation to Maratha Mahasangh, the members of various Kannada organisations in Belagavi and Kalaburagi have not only stopped Maharashtra buses and lorries but also painted “Jai Karnataka” on them. In a few border areas, the Kannada activists smeared black ink on the neighbouring state’s vehicles.

Supreme Court hearing postponed

The hearing on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border, scheduled before the three-judge Constitution bench at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, was postponed. The hearing is likely to be taken up in the coming week.

Maharashtra approached the Supreme Court requesting it to take up the hearing on the dispute. The first hearing was scheduled on 23 November. However, it was postponed due to various reasons and scheduled for Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Bommai chaired a meeting with Karnataka’s legal team and higher officials in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Bommai also held a discussion on the matter with the former Attorney General of India and senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who heads the state legal team, and had a detailed discussion on the interstate border dispute. He also met senior advocate Fail Sam Nariman in Delhi.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said: “It is the state government’s responsibility to solve the problems of the 40 villages of Jath.”

He said he had appointed two Cabinet ministers — Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai — to oversee the hearing at the apex court.

They are also likely to visit Belagavi on 3 December and chair a meeting with the members of Maharashtra Ekikarana Samithi and the Shiva Sena in Belagavi, claimed reliable sources.

Condemning the visit, Belagavi Kannada Organisations Action Committee president Ashok Chandaragi said, “This is an effort by the Maharashtra government to disturb the peace in border areas, mainly in Belagavi.”

He urged Bommai for the immediate appointment of two senior ministers as the border in-charge ministers for Karnataka.

“The people in Jath, Akkalkot, South-Solapur and Pandharpur have expressed their willingness for the merger of their villages, towns and cities with Karnataka. The state government has to morally support these people and should immediately send two senior ministers,” said Chandaragi.