Belagavi: Justice Nagamohan Das, chairman of the Karnataka Border and Rivers Protection Commission, has informed the Karnataka govt that there is no legal impediment to the Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) adopting a resolution declaring Belagavi an integral part of Karnataka and affirming the Mahajan Commission report as the final basis for resolving the Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute.In a letter addressed to chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh on July 17, Justice Nagamohan Das stated that the adoption of such a resolution was necessary and urged the govt to take appropriate steps, noting that there was no legal obstacle to its passage.Senior Kannada activist Ashok Chandargi, who briefed the media on the contents of the letter, said the commission’s opinion assumes significance at a time when senior govt officials are allegedly delaying the process of conveying the state govt’s stand on the proposed resolution to the BCC.The govt should seriously consider the opinion expressed by the commission chairman, Chandargi said.He noted that after the Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute was taken to the Supreme Court in 2004, the state govt constituted the Border Legal Advisory Committee. The panel was reconstituted as the Karnataka Border Protection Commission in 2015, and in 2018, the HD Kumaraswamy-led govt expanded its mandate to include the protection of the state’s rivers.
Chandargi said the recommendations and advice of the commission should be given due consideration by the state govt. He added that the Kannada Sanghatanegala Kriya Samiti of Belagavi had written to the commission on July 13, highlighting the ongoing agitation launched by more than 22 Kannada organisations since March 26, demanding that the BCC adopt a pro-Karnataka resolution declaring Belagavi an integral part of the state.
