BENGALURU: Former speaker KB Koliwad’s name has become the reason for some hue and cry among his supporters. Haveri zilla panchayat members wanted to name a newly-constructed zilla panchayat building as Koliwad Bhavan, but the Rural Development and Panchayath Raj (RDPR) babus rejected it.
ZP members from Haveri passed a resolution in this regard twice - in May 2017 and October 2017. However, Haveri Zilla Panchayat CEO said names of elected representatives cannot be used to name buildings or government property. Haveri DC rejected the resolution citing Karnataka Grama Swaraj and Panchayat Raj Act 1993, under which government properties cannot be named after elected representatives who are alive. Under secretary (ZP), RDPR, issued an order last week cancelling the resolution passed by Haveri ZP.
Irked by this, some Congress workers and Koliwad’s followers said the former MLA’s opponents were behind stalling the idea. A Congress worker from Haveri told The New Indian Express, “There is an official building in Haveri DC’s office named after BJP MLA and former minister C M Udasi. Just because Koliwad lost the election, they cannot take this decision.”
Koliwad said, “Earlier zilla panchayat members had passed the resolution, which went to the state government for approval. It was even given approval. But then someone went to the court, which did not just remove my name but also that of Udasi from that building. They have removed my name, but they are yet to remove Udasi’s,” he said.