Maharashtra ministers' visit to Belagavi in Karnataka cancelled

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Maharashtra ministers Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai postponed their scheduled visit to Belagavi on Tuesday.

On Monday Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had raised concerns over the visit of the two ministers to Belagavi.

Maharashtra has appointed Patil and Desai as the coordinating ministers for the state's border row with Karnataka. The two states have been entangled in a row for decades over the demarcation of boundary between them. The matter is scheduled to come up for hearing in the Supreme Court on November 30.

Speaking to ANI, Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) leader Sarita Patil said, "The Maharashtra Ministers who were to come in Belgavi, now their programme is cancelled due to Mahaparinirvan Diwas as we got to know from Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's statement."

"Their visit is cancelled now but we hope that they will visit on some other day. I also request them to visit by this year. On December 19, there is adhiveshan (session) in Belgavi and I request them on behalf of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi to visit here," she added.

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Patil and Desai, were initially scheduled to visit Belagavi on December 3 but had postponed their visit to December 6.

Yesterday Karnataka CM Bommai appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to fight the border dispute issue legally as it is in court now.

"We have already communicated to them that it will create law and order problem, therefore, it's not the right time to come. I appeal to Maharashtra CM that the matter is in court and fight it legally," said Karnataka CM on the scheduled visit of the Maharashtra ministers.

Meanwhile, in Belagavi's Chikkodi as a precautionary measure, police presence has been tightened along the border.

According to police, six Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) contingents are deployed in Nippani Taluk. 450 policemen assigned to Kuganolli Check Post. Senior officials such as the Superintendent of Police (SP) Additional SP, DSPs, Police Inspectors, Sub-inspectors and 450 police personnel have been deployed.

All inner roads of Nippani and Chikkodi taluk are blocked. Police are checking every vehicle entering the border.

Belgaum or Belagavi is currently part of Karnataka but is claimed by Maharashtra.After the implementation of the State Reorganization Act, of 1956, the Maharashtra government demanded the readjustment of its border with Karnataka.

Following this, a four-member committee was formed by both states. Maharashtra government had expressed willingness to transfer Kannada-speaking 260 villages predominantly, but it was turned down by Karnataka. Now, both Karnataka and Maharashtra governments have approached the Supreme Court to expedite the matter, and the matter is still pending.

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