Satish Jarkiholi says he is preparing for a new Gokak district

The Hindu

2 days ago

The issue of the division of Belagavi district has come to the fore again with district in-charge Minister Satish Jarkiholi raising it in public fora and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah saying that the government is open to the idea.
Speaking at a ceremony organised by a media organisation in Gokak on Saturday, Mr. Jarkiholi said that they are planning for the creation of a new Gokak district.
Gokak needs a government medical college and a government engineering college. It seems it will be easy once it becomes a district, he said.
'Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has sanctioned a district hospital for Gokak. Work on the building will start soon. It will be up and running by the time a medical college can be set up,' he said.
He also said that Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar has promised to sanction a government engineering college for Gokak. 'We are considering the option of starting it on a temporary premises before the building is constructed,' he said.
Also, he spoke of plans to lay a cable car rope to Gokak falls at a cost of ₹50 crore to promote tourism and construct of a central library in front of the Gokak Court at a cost of ₹4 crore.
Earlier also, Mr. Jarkiholi has argued for the trifurcation of the district as Belagavi, Chikkodi and Gokak, as he feels that it will be convenient for administration and will help people.
A few days ago, Mr. Siddaramaiah told reporters in Gouribidanur that there have been demands for division from Belagavi. 'We will consider it after consulting legislators,' he said.
The demand for a Chikkodi district is three decades old. Leaders like B.R. Sangappagol formed the Chikkodi Zilla Horata Samiti to fight for it. Sanju Badiger and Shivaraj Bolannanavar are leading the fightafter Sangappagol's death a few years ago.
Then Chief Minister late J.H. Patel announced the formation of the new Chikkodi district in 1997 but dropped it after Kannada protagonists opposed it. They argued that creating a smaller district of Belagavi will lead to concentration of pro-Marathi activists in a few taluks who will then continue to demand its merger with Maharashtra.
Mr. Jarkiholi says this argument does not hold good any longer as the political power of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti has waned.
'At one time, MES had five MLAs from Belagavi. Now there are none. Their hold on the Belagavi City Corporation has also reduced,' he told reporters in Belagavi last week.
However, not everyone agrees. Kannada activists are not fully satisfied with the Minister's answer. They say the agitation for merger with Maharashtra is not limited to MES as other cultural organisations can raise it in future, if Marathi votes are consolidated in the new Belagavi district.
The sub-divisional headquarters of Bailhongal wants to be a district also. People there want a new Bailhongal district or they don't want the division at all. They will be happy in an undivided Belagavi district, they said.
Sri Rajayogindra Swami of Kalmath wants a Kittur district as it has been the seat of the Kittur kingdom headed by Channamma.
Belagavi is among the biggest districts in the State with a population of over 57 lakh. It has 14 taluks, 18 Assembly seats, two MLCs and is spread across three Lok Sabha seats, Belgaum, Uttara Kannada and Chikkodi.
The rural areas are governed by 506 gram panchayats, the highest in the State.
The distinct in-charge Minister feels that each of the three proposed new districts will have six Assembly constituencies. The district is shaped like the English letter S and is spread in four directions across north-west Karnataka. It borders five districts in Karnataka, three in Maharashtra and one in Goa. Life is not easy for residents of villages on its border like Telsang, Kakamari or Kottalagi who have to travel 200 km to reach the district headquarters.
Sanju Badiger argues that the district administration neglects far-flung areas now. 'If we have trifurcation, then we will have three Deputy Commissioners, three Superintendents of Police and three Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officers. They will be able to focus better on a smaller district. A big Belagavi district is difficult to administer,' he said.