BELAGAVI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said in Mumbai that the planned visit of their ministerial colleagues Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai, to Belagavi on December 6 stands cancelled.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had requested his Maharashtra counterpart not to send the delegation as it could lead to law and order problems. Also, Dr B R Ambedkar’s death anniversary is observed as Mahaparinirvan Din is on December 6.
Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai have been appointed by the Maharasthra government as coordinating ministers for the Karnataka-Maharashtra border issue. They were scheduled to meet families of those martyred over the border issue and visit some Marathi educational institutions.
Earlier in the day, Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil had said that as per the appeal of Kannada organisations, the Maharashtra ministers and MP will not be allowed to cross the state’s borders.
“We have received the travel iterinary of the two ministers and an MP. They had earlier stated that they will visit Belagavi on December 3 and then put it off to December 6. Their planned visit has already created a tense atmosphere here and the situation could go out of hand if they visit the district. Moreover, their own security will be at risk. I have already held discussions with the SP and the police commissioner”, he noted.The DC said that the district administration hopes that they will return on their own. If they do not, they will be stopped by invoking provisions of IPC Section 143 as done earlier. Their entry to the district can create law and order issues, he said. “We have received their travel programme and we hope that they will return on their own. Strict security arrangements have been made at all border areas”, the DC added.