BELAGAVI: Amid the row over the border dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra, the Belagavi police on Wednesday said there have been no restrictions on anyone visiting Karnataka.
“No untoward incidents have been reported across the district. There is normalcy. There is no restriction on anyone visiting Karnataka. Pilgrims visiting temples in Belagavi are being taken care of. There is no reason to worry. People should not pay heed to rumours”, said Belagavi Superintendent of Police Sanjeev M Patil.
Rumours had sparked on social media over an alleged attack on pilgrims at Saundatti Yelammana Gudda and Godachi Veerbhadreshwara temples in Belagavi.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) suspended its bus services to Karnataka in wake of an alert from the police. The transport utility confirmed that this has been done after a security alert from the Karnataka police that buses might be targeted during the agitations related to the ongoing Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said that he would speak with Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the ongoing Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute. Earlier, on Tuesday, Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to fight the border dispute issue legally as it is in court now. Bommai also raised concern over the proposed visit of two ministers to Belagavi.
Meanwhile, in Belagavi’s Chikkodi, police presence has been tightened along the border as a precautionary measure. According to police, six Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) contingents are deployed in Nippani taluk and about 450 policemen assigned to Kuganolli checkpost. Senior officials such as the Superintendent of Police (SP) Additional SP, Deputy SPs, Police Inspectors, Sub-inspectors and 450 police personnel have been deployed. All inner roads of Nippani and Chikkodi taluk are blocked. Police are checking every vehicle entering the border.
As per reports, the long-running Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute started back in 1953, after the Maharashtra government objected to the inclusion of 865 villages including Belagavi. The villages are spread across Belagavi and the north-western and north-eastern regions of Karnataka, all bordering Maharashtra.
After the implementation of the State Reorganization Act, of 1956, the Maharashtra government demanded the readjustment of its border with Karnataka. Following this, a four-member committee was formed by both states.
The Maharashtra government had expressed willingness to transfer 260 predominantly Kannada-speaking villages, but it was turned down by Karnataka. Now, both Karnataka and Maharashtra governments have approached the Supreme Court to expedite the matter, and the matter is still pending. (ANI)