Maharashtra Villages merge with Karnataka; fail to provide basic facilities

Amid the Belagavi border row, 11 villages in Maharashtra have asked the Solapur district administration to provide them with basic facilities or permit them to merge with adjoining Karnataka. Maharashtra Villages merge with Karnataka; fail to provide basic facilities.

The merger demand has come at a time when the decades-old border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka has flared up once again. Both states stake claim on certain border areas under each other’s control. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai had earlier staked claim over Jat taluka and some “Kannada-speaking” areas of Akkalkot tehsil and Solapur.

The gram panchayats of Kallakarjal, Kegaon, Shegaon, Korsegaon, Aalge, Dharsang, Andewadi (Khurd), Hilli, Devikavathe, Mangrul and Shawal in Akkalkot tehsil on Monday submitted a list of their demands to the Solapur collector. The villages, in the list, have asked the district administration to provide them basic facilities or permit them to merge with Karnataka if their demands are not met.

Sagunabai Hatture, the sarpanch of Aalagi, one of the 11 villages, claimed that there were no proper roads, power supply and water in these areas. “As there is no proper road to our village, teachers and medical staff at the primary health centre cannot come to the village. Youngsters find it difficult to go out to access education and for other works due to lack of connectivity,” Hatture said.

A resolution was passed in the gram panchayat to submit a letter to the district collector asking the government to provide basic facilities to these villages or allow them to merge with Karnataka, she said. A resident of Aalagi, Mahantesh Hatture said the adjoining areas in Karnataka have enough water and good road connectivity.

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These villages faced water problems and the road connectivity was deplorable, said Appasaheb Shatgar, the sarpanch of Hilli village. “A lot of water is released during the monsoon season from the Ujani dam and due to improper management, sugarcane fields and houses get flooded. However, in summers no water is released to our areas. We have to beg politicians and officials concerned for water,” Shatgar said.