KALABURAGI: During a joint conference of Karnataka and Maharashtra Governors to discuss issues concerning border districts, the Kalaburagi district administration raised key matters of importance, including the sudden release of water from Maharashtra dams causing floods in the district, the necessity of opening Kannada medium schools in border districts of Maharashtra and controlling crimes in border areas.
Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner Yeshwant Gurkar, who briefed the meeting about the plight of the district during monsoon, said that when water is suddenly released from Ujjani and Veer dams in the neighbouring state, villages in the district are prone to flooding and crop loss.
“The district administration then has to take up relief measures in Afzalpur and other taluks. Before releasing water, authorities in Maharashtra should send an alert at least a week in advance to officials in Karnataka,” he said.
Kannada Medium Schools
Maharashtra towns bordering Kalaburagi district have Kannada medium schools to help students from the region. Sholapur has 14 such schools, Akkalkot 28 and Umarga 30.
“With a large number of Kannada-speaking people in these three areas, the Maharashtra government should encourage these schools and open new grant-in-aid Kannada medium schools, similar to Marathi medium schools in Karnataka,” Gurkar said.
Joint task force
There is a need to set up a joint task force by Karnataka and Maharashtra excise departments to curb the illegal movement of liquor and narcotics in border areas, and information about people involved in excise crimes in border areas should be shared, he said.
To curb the illegal transportation of sand from Karnataka to Maharashtra, a checkpoint has been proposed at Mashal village of Afzalpur taluk. Police and food and civil supplies department officials should conduct joint raids as there are reports of foodgrains meant for the poor in Kalaburagi district being illegally stored, polished and sold from the mills located in the Umarga town of Osmanabad district.
He urged the Maharashtra government to provide transit accommodation to migrant labourers of Aland, Afzalpur and Jevargi, and also some parts of Kalaburagi taluk migrating to Mumbai and Pune for jobs.
CONSENSUS ON SIGNBOARDS IN KANNADA, MARATHI IN BORDER AREAS
Belagavi: Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and his Karnataka counterpart Thawaarchand Gehlot came to a consensus that signboards should be displayed in both Kannada and Marathi in the border areas of both the states, during their joint conference in Kolhapur on Friday.
They have also emphasised the need for greater coordination between the local administrations across districts of both states to resolve issues.
“The problems arising between the governments of Maharashtra and Karnataka should be solved at the state level through discussions between officials,’’ said Koshyari, while addressing top officials from both states. Collectors and SPs of five districts of border areas of Maharashtra and four districts of Karnataka were present. Gehlot said local administrations in the border districts should work in tandem and ensure better understanding.