BELAGAVI: “Preparations will be made to hold a model winter session this December at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi. The government will announce the session dates soon,” said Speaker UT Khader here on Tuesday.
Khader and Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti held a joint press conference after inspecting Suvarna Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday. “It is certain that the session will be held in December. That is why we have come here to check, review and conduct meetings with officers, asking them to be prepared for the session. We hope it will be a model session this time. The deputy commissioner has been told to form 10 committees to ensure all preparations are made. He has also been instructed to provide facilities to Assembly and Council members,” Khader said.
Horatti said, “During the session, more time will be dedicated to discussing burning issues of North Karnataka. Some ministers and MLAs think that Belagavi sessions are only for protests. We appeal to farmers, workers and members of organisations, who want to protest, to approach officers of concerned departments and get their issues resolved before the session starts, allowing a smooth session.”
He said, “When the land was identified for the construction of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, then chief minister Kumaraswamy and I had informed the officers to prepare the blueprint keeping Bengaluru’s Vidhana Soudha in mind. But the next government prepared a new blueprint and constructed this building. At Bengaluru Vidhana Soudha, it is easy to find ministers’ offices, but that is not the case in Suvarna Vidhana Soudha.”
He said that some state-level offices are functioning out of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha. However, officers are not interested in working in North Karnataka. They come here only when their Bengaluru offices are closed, he added.
After the construction of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, the demand for merging Belagavi with Maharashtra has reduced. The structure has sparked love and respect for Kannada in border districts, he opined. “Many demand that the governor should address the joint session. We will take steps towards that. A proposal will be sent to the chief minister,” Horatti said.