Now, 11 villages in Maharashtra's Solapur want to join Karnataka
ATHANI: As many as 11 villages of Akkalkot taluk in Solapur district of Maharashtra have passed a resolution to join Karnataka. They blamed the Maharashtra government for failing to provide basic amenities and alleged that they have been deprived of motorable roads, drinking water, education and other facilities.
They rued that their villages did not see any development and have remained neglected. However, villages across the border in Karnataka have been developed by their government, they said. The villagers conducted a gram panchayat meeting in their respective villages and passed a resolution to merge their villages with Karnataka. Residents of Alge and 10 more villages of Akkalkot taluk submitted a memorandum to the Solapur district collector recently.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra police have served notices to some Kannadigas residing in those villages warning them of legal action if they stage protests or shout slogans demanding their merger with Karnataka without taking prior permission from them.
Senior Kannada leader Ashok Chandargi said that Kannadigas residing in Maharashtra along the border want to discuss their problems with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. There are about 60 villages in Maharashtra border which want to merge with Karnataka. Chandargi said that they will soon submit a memorandum to the Belagavi DC, SP and City Police Commissioner, urging them to arrange for a meeting with Bommai. Recently, Bommai had claimed that 42 villages of Jatt region in Maharashtra wanted to merge with Karnataka.