Belagavi: The chief minister’s provisional nod to the creation of Vijayanagar district, to be carved out of Ballari, has raised many questions among those who have been waiting for the state government to develop administrative infrastructure in those taluks that were created in 2017. Of the 49 new taluks that came into being during the then Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, 30 are in North Karnataka. Residents of these new taluks, who had hoped that their localities turning into administrative hubs may save them the hassle of having to travel long distances in order for government businesses, have been left bitterly disappointed with most of these new taluks in North Karnataka yet to house any of the primary buildings or offices that discharge government duties.
Venkatesh Patel Vatgal, a political analyst in North Karnataka, opined that it might take a decade before the new taluks get a full-fledged administrative set-up. He cited the case of Nagareddy Buddinni, a farmer in the newly created Maski taluk in Raichur, who had to travel to Lingasugur for any official work. “It could be the revenue or the agriculture department, he has to go all the way to Lingasugur even now. The villages now under Maski taluk were earlier under the purview of Lingasugur, Manvi and Sindhanur taluks,” said Vatgal, adding that the plight of the citizens in the new Siravara taluk was not too different.
North Karnataka-based activist Ashok Chandaragi alighted upon a more logistical problem: Funds. “Taluks were carved out for political gains, and not to ease administration. The agenda of the politicians is to keep people happy temporarily so they can garner political mileage. None of the new taluks has offices of key government departments, and there is a proposal for the creation of the 31st district. When the state does not have sufficient funds to compensate flood victims, where will it get funds to develop infrastructure for the new district?” he asked.
In the 16 new taluks in Kalaburagi, Bidar, Ballari, Koppal and Yadgir districts, there are no offices for agriculture, traffic police, health, education, labour and social welfare departments. MLA for Chittapur, parts of which were carved out to form Kalagi and Shahabad taluks, said that the lack of government offices in these new taluks were creating many problems for the people. “Yadgir district was created many years ago and it is still awaiting full-fledged administrative facilities. This is an indication of what we can expect in Vijayanagar district,” Priyank said.
Kalaburagi regional commissioner NV Prasad told TOI that this was not confined to a specific region, but was a problem faced across the state. “Infrastructure for effective administration will be developed eventually. The process, which was halted owing to Covid-19, has been expedited. In some taluks, offices have been set up temporarily in some buildings, and new structures will be built soon,” Prasad said.