The demand for statehood for North Karnataka which is gathering momentum in Bombay Karnataka region has already had its aftershocks in Hyderabad Karnataka region.
While all political parties are almost opposed to the demand on the ground that the division of the State would not serve the purpose, civil society groups cutting across political affiliations and ideological shades are almost unanimous in condemning the Bombay Karnataka leaders for taking Hyderabad Karnataka for granted and including it in the larger North Karnataka perspective in their demand for statehood.
They feel that the demand was a conspiracy to continue Bombay Karnataka’s hegemony over Hyderabad Karnataka. There is a third section that feels that it is time for raising the demand for statehood for Hyderabad Karnataka.
All the three sections are again unanimous on one aspect: the region with rich natural resources is the most backward in the State. With special status offered under Article 371(J) of the Constitution with which it gets reservation in education and employment as well as special grants, the region’s distinguished identity has become stronger. It is this factor that indeed makes the region different from the rest of Karnataka and also forms the basis for its dislike to join the Bombay Karnataka leaders.
The High Power Committee for Redressal of Regional Imbalances, better known as D.M. Nanjundappa Committee, had, in its report submitted to the government in 2002, using 34 different parameters, identified 39 most backward taluks in the State, of which Gulbarga (Kalaburagi) division (Hyderabad Karnataka) alone had 21, followed by Bengaluru division (11), Belagavi division (5) and Mysuru (2). It had made a host of recommendations to redress regional imbalances. But, hardly a few have been considered thus far.
Though civil society groups view the Constitutional amendment to insert Clause J to Article 371 and special status to Hyderabad Karnataka region as a revolutionary step to fight backwardness, many are unhappy with the government’s disinterest in effectively implementing it.
“The previous government had allocated ₹ 4,650 crore special grants to Hyderabad Karnataka Regional Development Board, of which only ₹ 2,350 crore is released and ₹ 1,337 crore spent so far. Of the 55,000 vacancies in the region, only 18,993 were filled during the previous government’s tenure.
Kalaburagi had been selected for developing National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) along with Tumakuru in South Karnataka. Work has started in Tumakuru but Kalaburagi has been dropped from the very project. “If the government’s negligence towards Hyderabad Karnataka region continues, it is natural that the region would go up in arms in the future to demand statehood for itself,” Umakanth B. Nigudgi, former chairman of Hyderabad Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industries (HKCCI), told The Hindu on Monday.
