Stating that the successive State governments have neglected Kalyana Karnataka region, the Hyderabad Karnataka Janapara Sangharsh Samiti on Monday demanded statehood for the region.
President of the samiti Lakshman Dasti in a release said that the establishment of Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board (KKRDB) and the special status conferred on the backward Kalyana Karnataka region under Article 371(J) of the Constitution had failed to ensure the expeditious development of the region. The region would see development only if it gets statehood.
The the successive governments in the State have inflicted step-motherly treatment on the region and now, though special status has been accorded, the region’s interests are still being ignored. “We have been made victims of deliberate neglect and a separate State is the only solution to our problems,” Mr. Dasti added.
Mr. Dasti said that there had been discrimination in providing funds for the various projects in the region by the successive governments, including the ruling BJP government in the State. “The region was also secluded from representation, while the old Mysuru region continues to dominate both in the political and development landscape,” he added.
The State has failed to implement the Nanjunappa Committee report and also Article 371(J). Though huge funds were allocated under KKRDB to take up development works in the six districts of the Kalyana Karnataka region, it is not being utilised properly. Demanding Statehood is the need of the hour, Mr. Dasti reiterated.
